FROM THE 'KIDS, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME" DEPARTMENTT

Yesterday, LOST did something really crazy and unhealthy . . . no, there were no Tequila shooters or unrestrained carnival rides involved. No LOST risked soul-rot, by tuning into about 1/2 hour each of the demigods of AM Radio. First, the morning drive time found local Rush Limbaugh wannabe Rick Roberts, railing about "bums rushes" and the Obama plan to horde 90% of the stimulus money until needed for marinating electoral districts during the mid-term elections. Over and over the message was the the vast majority of the stimulus money 80-90 percent hasn't been used yet. "It's being horded for the campaign coffers." It went to a point where he'd completely blurred the distinction between spending stimulus money in areas were Dems were trolling for votes, to using stimulus money to pay for campaigns. All the while there were references to "Chicago," "Socialism" "fascism" one goofball called in and wanted to press RICO charges against the President for this "taking public money and spending it on campaigns" The swelling pride in the callers voice as he shared his brilliant idea with Rick Roberts and the rest of his intellectually-challenged listeners was unmistakable. Strangely there was no agreement from Roberts, himself purportedly trained as a lawyer in Texas, yet there was also no rebuke about what was a plainly nutty idea, either. It was simply yeah yeah, harumph, the nerve of this guy ramming this bill through then not spending the money.

Over on Planet Hanitwit, it was a different story. There was the hair-helmeted blustery one, railing on about how President Obama had killed the auto industry Destroyed it, peppered with Tourette's-like outbursts of "Ronald Reagan SAVED THE AUTO INDUSTRY" and it occurred to LOST that neither of these radio nuts were on the same page - for Roberts was saying the Stimulus hasn't happened yet because the money's being horded, while Hanitwit was saying it had failed, and that President Obama - not the Vega, Pinto, Pontiac Aztek, the continuous whining about "burdensome" mileage standards, bad labor agreements - had killed the auto industry. Six months on the job and Obama had destroyed an economic sector which is responsible for nearly 10% of the jobs in this country. Neat trick. But it was soon time to change the subject in the land of the ADFDs (Attention Deficit Factually Disordered) and move on to ridiculous bidness taxes in LA. Actually it was a shame to leave, because this story - IF accurately told by Hanitwit (big IF, yes yes) had some intrigue about it - a syndication business beating the City of LA in an adinistrative hearing 20 years earlier on the classification of its business (for tax purposes) now facing a renewed claim by the City - coupled with the assertion that the previous finding was not binding on the city. Ah, but time to go, and the headache was back. Besides, all those commercials? Time to get new Auto insurance - 'cause there's no way LOST is staying with AAA as it's a proud sponsor of this Drivel. Better put Farmers on the list, too, there was one of their commercials, too.

Which brings us to the Savage Wiener. Yep, a fat gravelly voiced jewish guy who isn't Harvey Fierstein but who is most likely every bit as gay, is in mid rant about Obama when he abruptly shifts gears to kvetch about Michael Jackson. His music was awful, he was a molester, he had no real talent, he meant nothing to anyone important - on and on. Oh, but to "prove" that he wasn't a bigot, Weiner Savage played some "real music" snippets - John Coltrane, Duke Ellington - real "Black" music, you know, from a time when things were kinder and gentler, and you could always find your own drinking fountain. LOST was no fan of Jacko - ever since he went solo it was kind of "huh?" But it is impossible to deny his resonance with generations of people all over the world. And it was clear that the Savage Weiner was pining for that time when "those people" knew their place.

Listening to this pond of bile and ichor day after day - like Pavlov's bells, little wonder why there are 20% of the population so angrily animated about things which they neither know or understand clearly. And why the need to dance to the razors edge of racism each time, too? Each of these microphonies gleefully gets right to edge of screaming "beaner-loving darkie" at the top of his lungs, and then sits back and smirks while the callers push it just that much further. Reminiscent of those close up, stream-of-consciousness racial rants in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing." Only that's just a movie. From almost 20 years ago. Why aren't we beyond this? Why aren't we better than this? And since we're not, why are so many unashamed - instead so proud of their ignorance and stupidity on these points? Like LOST was saying, Kids, don't try this at home.