Rant #1,361: Hanoi Jane

In 1972, actress Jane Fonda committed a heinous act that she is more well known for than for some of her movies.

Fonda was part of an entourage that traveled to Hanoi in North Vietnam during the height of the Vietnam War. She posed for a slew of now-notorious photos, sitting on an anti-aircraft battery and wearing a helmet.

She spoke out against the attacks that U.S. soldiers made along the Red River, and many service members took her comments to heart, and have never forgiven her for her stance.

During the past more than 40 years, Fonda has had to defend herself against constant protests by Vietnam vets about her stance at the time, and once again, all these years later, she is defending herself not so much about being against the war, but for the perception that she was acting against the best interests of the soldiers who fought in the war.

She appeared in Maryland over the weekend to give a speech, and as has been the norm for decades now, protestors were there to show their own stance against Fonda. Most of the protestors, again as has been the norm, were Vietnam veterans who say they might forgive her for her transgression, but they won't forget what she did to reduce morale among the troops even further down than it already was.

Responding to a question posed to her by an audience member about the infamous photographs, she replied, "Whenever possible, I try to sit down with vets and talk with them, because I understand and it makes me sad. It hurts me, and it will to my grave, that I made a huge, huge mistake that made a lot of people think I was against the soldiers."

Whether sincere or not, she has also said time and time again over the years that her trip to Vietnam back then was a success, so just what is Fonda saying? Does she simply regret the photographs, and what they stood for, and nothing else?

It appears that the answer is "nothing else."

Times were different back then. Without Internet, newspapers, TV and radio were still our main sources of news, and when those photographs was seen by millions around the world, it really served to demoralize the troops even further down, if that was even possible.

Many looked at the troops as peons of the Nixon government, completely out of touch with their contemporaries back home, but just as culpable for the mess the war had caused.

Yes, it was an incorrect stance, but those photos really encapsulated what was happening in our country at the time, based on this very unpopular conflict. The enemy used her visit as a big propaganda tool, making the troops feel even more worthless than they had been meant to feel by fighting a war that was both unpopular and could not be won.

Fonda was one of the young stars in Hollywood at the time, and for her not to give her thumb's up to at least the troops was unforgivable; this was no Bob Hope road show she was on, and she was flashing the peace sign instead.

Now, at 77, the actress continues to live down what she did, but at least she is somewhat remorseful.

This is a real lesson to younger people today, who have the Internet to use and can post just about anything they want on it for everyone to see.

Learn from Fonda. Yes, Fonda was a star, a celebrity, but even she was not immune to the "whatever gets printed stays with you forever" syndrome, which, of course, has been updated to the current "whatever is on the Internet is available from the moment you put it up, and it could haunt you forever."

Heck, it even happens to stars today. Those dummy actresses who put up nude photos of themselves on the cloud, only to find that the cloud was hacked and their photos were made public, is the perfect current example of this.

But back to those photos from the Vietnam Ware era ... I guess it haunts Fonda at least a little bit, but whether she is sincere about those photos, and what she was trying to say and do during her trip,  is really anyone's guess.

But it hurts many Vietnam vets, and they will never let her forget that whether she intended to or not, she let them down, and let them down real hard.

Classic Rant #8 (May 13, 2009): Employers Taking Advantage of Employees

This is a real touchy subject, but I am going to pursue it anyway, because that is what Ranting and Raving is all about.

I have found, though personal experience and through the experiences others have told me about, that many companies are taking advantage of employees due to our lousy economy.

This is not the second coming of the Great Depression, as so many would have us believe. The economy goes up and down every several years, and although this downturn appeared to be huge, I personally don't think it was as bad as some might claim. And what is wrong with pulling back spending a little bit, and putting more in the bank?

My problem is that companies continue to make money during this downturn, but because their profits are not as high as they had been, a total panic has set in. And in my experience, this has filtered down to the employees, who are being held accountable for any lessening profits that companies may have accrued.

Companies are blaming their employees, giving them extra workloads and things to do (and think about) because they are not making as much money has they had been making. Of course, the company's hierarchy is never to blame for the excesses of the past — look at what the banks have gotten away with until recently (and to a certain extent, are still getting away with).

And the incredible amount of layoffs ... how many layoffs did it take to pay for Citibank's naming rights for Citi Field, the Mets' new home?

it is so easy to blame the little guy, that company's are doing just that, rather than looking inwardly at themselves and the polices that they put into practice that created this mess that we are in. Bernard Madoff aside, the little guy is not the one to blame, and there is certainly no need for panic.

The institution of proper business practices — on every level — will return our economy to what it was. Dumping on the little guy is fashionable, but it accomplishes absolutely nothing positive.

I know that what I said was pretty simplistic, but it is time for the big shots to look at themselves and see what they did wrong — not to their employees, who simply followed their policies.

Rant #1,360: Instant Replay

Tony Verna recently passed away. Verna was an extremely successful TV producer and director, but in the history of TV, we viewers are forever in his debt.

He “invented” instant replay, as much of a part of sporting contests as the games themselves.

Verna was a young TV producer with CBS in 1963 when the network broadcast an Army-Navy football game.

Legend has it that Verna told the network that he was able to pinpoint exact segments of the broadcast on a videotape being used to record the game and he was able to find what he wanted quickly.

A segment was shown instantly, and instant replay was born.

However, replays on sports telecasts did not begin with Verna. They had been around since the late 1950s.

Although the first notice of a replay I could find was on a "Hockey Night in Canada" broadcast in the late 1950s, it was not of the "instant" variety.

It was a new recording of a play in a game--I don't know which one--that was quickly processed and shown during the broadcast.

But it wasn't instant.

The actual first use of a videotape replay during an athletic contest was in 1960, during a Yankees game versus the Chicago White Sox.

Pitcher Ralph Terry was no-hitting the Chisox, and Yankees announcer Mel Allen was told that he could ask for the technology, because it was felt that the WPIX technicians could deliver it to the broadcast.

When a White Sox player got the first hit, Allen remembered what he was told, and a few minutes later, the replay of the hit was shown on the broadcast.

Not instant, but a replay nonetheless, certainly opening the door for Verna and the technology he and CBS used three years later.

So while Verna was the first to use instant replay, he was not the first to use replay, per se. I think a lot of obituaries overlooked that point, and it is a major one.

That aside, what would sports programming be without the use of video replay? Today, we get all the angles, slow motion, etc.

Verna could not have imagined what instant replay would do to a broadcast, but now instant replay is even used by all the pro leagues to make sure their officials do not blow a call.

He truly opened the door for the high-tech broadcasts we have today, and also the ability we have to personally record anything we want off of our own televisions.

So the name might not be familiar, but his most famous application certainly is.

Classic Rant #7 (May 12, 2009): The Downfall of Space Exploration

As the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis blasted off from its Florida launch pad on Monday on an 11-day mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, does anybody out there get the chills, is proud to be an American, and will remember this day forever?

The only reason that I ask is that when I was a kid, when our space exploration was at its zenith, I felt those emotions when we would send astronauts into space. It is an emotion I doubt anyone feels today.

When we reached the moon in 1969, I think most people thought that outer space was our oyster: we could go anywhere in space, and would do so during the next decade. Well, the 1970s started out fine, and we had several more missions to the moon.

Then the whole thing seemingly stopped. I know there were public outcries about the money spent to go into space (and there still are), but everything basically came to a halt by the middle of the decade, and really has not picked up again.

During the past 30 years, the rest of the world has caught up to us in space flight, and we have had numerous cooperative missions. We have had the space shuttle, and we have had numerous unmanned missions.

And yes, we have had accidents — far too many.

At least public relations-wide, I don’t think too many people have gotten too excited over NASA’s recent missions. Several of our past presidents have given out some weak mandates for further space travel — didn’t the younger Bush put out some type of mandate about reaching Mars during his second term? — but I don’t see much making anyone too excited.

President Obama is a trailblazer. What I would love to see is for him to be a trailblazer for space exploration. Like John F. Kennedy, make a firm mandate about revisiting the moon — and also about going onto Mars — and make the powers that be stick to this mandate.

In 1969, our country and the world stood as one as Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. It can be done again, and not only can it be done, it should be done. The benefits far outweigh what some consider to be the excesses of such missions.

Rant #1,359: Hoops Oops, Part 2

Last week, I had a Rant about the ineptitude of the two professional basketball teams that call New York City home, the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets.

I mainly spoke about the Knicks, who continue to be as putrid as rotten vegetables, whether they are playing in this continent or across the sea in Europe.

Just in case you didn't notice, the New York Stinks ... err ... Knicks lost in England the other day, and play again today in the annual Martin Luther King Dat contest at Madison Square Garden.

I held off on the Nets because, quite frankly, I knew I was going to have my own close encounter with them on Saturday night, as my son and I attended their game versus the Washington Wizards at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

And yes, seeing them first hand, they stink too.

The Nets lost to the Wizards on Saturday night, and they have lost eight of their last nine games.

There is a lot of turmoil around this team, but it has been kind of overshadowed by the big, big mess that the Knicks have become, and also because, let's face it, this is the Nets we are talking about, always the second team in this town.

The team is old, full of injured players, has no draft picks coming up ... and add that together with the owner's decision to try to sell the team, and what you have is a major debacle in Kings County.

The Barclays Center remains a beautiful arena, but the glow appears to have left the building with the team's ineptitude.

There is no electricity in the arena, and even though I am sure the seats have been sold, there were hundreds of empty seats on Saturday night, even though the Wizards, at least, have an excellent team.

We sat in the nosebleed section, as usual, but even with the loss, my son and I had a good time.

It was a long night, but a fun one for us at least.

There is really nothing more to say.

The Nets stink, the Knicks are simply abominable, and I cannot see how things could get worse, but realistically, I know that they can.

Anybody for the NBA Developmental League's Westchester Knicks?

Oh my, they are awful too.

Hoops oops, for sure!

Classic Rant #6 (May 11, 2009): Child Support As Punishment

After more than 18 year, I am rapidly approaching my final child support payment. I have been happy to provide for my daughter, but as of mid-May — when my daughter turns 21 — this part of my life will finally be over.

However, don't confuse child support with providing the usual financial support that most parents provide for their children.

Of course I will continue to give her money when she needs it — I have given her thousands of dollars for her education, both directly from me and through money that has built up over the years.

However, child support is often used as a punishment, and it certainly was in my case. I have provided for my child even when I was out of work--through no fault of my own--and did so without remorse.

However, the system puts people like me in a predicament. I get fully taxed on the child support, but I cannot claim my daughter as a dependent because she does not live with me. Thus, I have paid for upwards of nearly two decades without receiving any help from the government.

I have never argued against the child support, and have had it increased several times during the past few years. But the time comes when children need to be independent of their parents financially, especially with the state factored into the equation.

I will never not give my daughter the money she needs; however, I have not seen a full paycheck paying me my full salary (less taxes) in nearly 20 years.

I think I have earned that right, and I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

A fairer system would be that both parents are obligated to set up accounts for their daughter, and the child can use the money when he or she needs it. Money gets taken out of both paychecks either weekly or monthly or per paycheck. This is a much fairer way, because in the current system, guilt is directed at the paying party. I have seen it, witnessed it, and been part of it.

It has not been easy (especially when the state took nearly my entire unemployment when I was out of work (and yes, I was obligated to pay arrears when I found work), but I have done it, and I am happy that I have reached the point where the end is near.

I will never financially abandon my daughter, but there comes a time when that need should be because you are obligated as a parent to do this, not because the state tells you to do this. There is a great difference.

And for every guy like me, there's dozens that don't pay a quarter in support, many times because the custodial parent has never legally asked for any payment from the other spouse.

I could go on and on how I was treated during the past nearly 20 years by my ex, and how I have joint custody of my daughter, but that is possibly another rant.

Right now, I am looking at the end of the tunnel, and liking what I see.

Rant #1,358: Getting to the End of "Bubbling Under"

In my final and last post at the original Ranting and Raving Blog, I waxed poetically about the Billboard "Bubbling Under" charts, listings featuring those songs that just didn't have enough "gusto," for one reason or another, to make the actual Hot 100 chart.

I talked about how I was compiling a collection of MP3 files of all of these songs from 1964-1971, and that I had amassed nearly 2,000 of them from my own collection and from various other sources.

Well, I am now down to the wire, and I have compiled a list of songs I don't yet have, and some of these are going to be really tough to find.

I have looked for them already, and they simply are not readily available. Some of them are by artists that you have probably heard of, like Ed Ames, in the photo above; others are from artists who are as obscure as can be.

But here is that list.

If you might have any of these, please let me know.

I am down for the count, and I simply do not know where else to go to find these obscurities.

If anybody can help, I would greatly, greatly appreciate it.

Thanks again, and speak to you again on Monday.

Bubbling Under Songs Needed

Ed Ames - All My Love’s Laughter
Nancy Ames - The Funny Thing About It
Kip Anderson - That’s When the Crying Begins
Pearl Bailey - I’d Rather Be Rich
Chet Baker and the Mariachi Brass - Flowers On the Wall
Ace Cannon  - Empty Arms
Ace Cannon - By the Time I Get To Phoenix
Mel Carter - As Time Goes By
Cashelles - Outside City Limits
Ray Charles Singers - Little By Little and Bit By Bit
Don Cherry - There Goes My Everything
Perry Como - Here Comes My Baby
Ray Conniff Singers - If I Knew Then
Damita Jo - Gotta Travel On
Vic Damone - Distant Drums
Sammy Davis Jr. - Choose
Skeeter Davis - I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)
Martin Denny - Hawaii Tattoo
Mike Douglas - Cabaret
Dave Edmunds - Blue Monday
Fantastic Johnny C - Is There Anything Better Than Making Love
Flaming Ember - Stop the World and Let Me Off
Pete Fountain - Mae
Carolyn Franklin - All I Want To Be Is Your Woman
Mamie Galore and Dee Irwin - By the Time I Get to Phoenix-Say a Little Prayer
Glass Bottle - Love For Living
Jeannie Greene - Only the Children Know
Ernie Heckscher and His Orchestra - The Girl From Ipanema
Skitch Henderson , His Piano and His Orchestra - Green, Green Grass of Home
Joe Hinton - A Thousand Cups of Happiness
Joe Hinton - I Want a Little Girl
Groove Holmes - The More I See You
Walter Jackson - Deep In the Heart of Harlem
Gus Jenkins - Chitlins
Jack Jones - Open For Business As Usual
J’s With Jaimie - Theme From A Summer Place]
King Curtis - Hide Away
King Richard’s Fluegel Knights - Camelot
Ramsey Lewis - Bear Mash
Lonnie Mack - Lonnie On the Move
Carmen McRae and Herbie Mann - Live For Life
Hank Marr - Silver Spoon
Bobbi Martin - Harper Valley P.T.A.
Sergio Mendes - Say a Little Prayer
Vaughn Monroe - Queen of the Senior Prom
Monotones - Run To Me
Anthony Newley - Tribute
Obie Nightengale - It’s a Sad Thing
Palm Beach Band Boys - I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter
Paul and Paula - We’ll Never Break Up For Good
Arthur Prysock - Without the One You Love
Arthur Prysock - Mamam
Curly Putman - My Elusive Dream
Vivian Reed - You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’/(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration
Rhinoceros - Better Times
Serendipity Singers - Down Where the Winds Blow (Chilly Winds)
Sheep - I Feel Good
Roger Williams and the Harry Simeone Chorale - Summer Wind
Streamliners With Joanne - Frankfurter Sandwiches
Nino Tempo and April Stevens - Ooh La La
Nino Tempo and April Stevens - Swing Me
Sue Thompson - Stop th’ Music
Sue Thompson - Put It Back (Where You Found It)
Three Dimensions (with the thing) - Look At Me
John Tipton - Spring
Uniques - Toys Are Made For Children
Billy Vaughn Singers - Sweet Maria
Wailers - It’s You Alone
Jennifer Warnes - Easy To Be Hard
Lawrence Welk and His Orchestra - The Beat Goes On
Margaret Whiting - Faithfully
Yellow Hand - Down to the Wire