Tea Kettle Hitler?

A little break from the Yellowstone Experience for the real world to rear its ugly head.
Now this post proves two things.
That Western civilization in 2013 has waaaay too much time on its hands.
And I regrettably am falling for this one hook, line and sinker.
According to the London Daily Telegraph, there is a billboard in Culver City, California, near Los Angeles, for JC Penney department store. It billboard is pretty innocuous as it shows what appears to be a tea kettle.
But look closely. Look really close at this photo:

Why by golly, here it is.
Hitler Tea Kettle.
Well, I don't think that it is actually called that. But really, doesn't it look just like Shicklgruber himself?
Forgive me but I kind of sort of think that this is a big stretch. I mean really. Are we now comparing a billboard photo of a tea kettle to the most evil mass murder of the 20th century?
So the end of the tea kettle that steams and screams is. . .Der Fuerher giving the Sieg Heil salute? And what exactly is that black line down the middle of the kettle? Looking at the photo it does not even look like it is part of the kettle.
The handle, which looks pretty ergonomic to me, is really supposed to be the floppy hair of the Butcher of Berlin?
And, this is maybe the best part, the top of the kettle, the black ball, is really. . .the Hitler moustache?
Well, that is what all the freaks on Reddit want you to think so. For many went there to post their thoughts on this billboard.
So, an already struggling JC Penney really is going to trot out the Tea Kettle Hitler, put it on a billboard and expect sales to go through the roof? If that was the intent, hey why didn't they think of putting this up in West Los Angeles? The Fairfax district maybe? Oh, these are very Jewish areas of Los Angeles. I mean, didn't they aim this for them? To remind them of those good ol' days?
See, what worries me is that people driving on the San Diego Freeway (405) are taking the time to psychoanalyze a billboard. All I know is that when my wife is driving, she sure as hell does not pay attention to billboards just like that. If I am the passenger, maybe I will. But I sure would not have the time to look and gleam Tea Kettle Hitler.
What I do is look at it and think that it is one of those modern-look tea kettles. That is all.
Sure, when you look at the photo above, you could possibly think, hmm, maybe. But again, it is a TEA KETTLE!
This is the ultimate Seinfeld story.
Much ado about nothing. I mean, I am expecting the old gang from Seinfeld to pop up soon going on and on about it.
Folks, we have become a society with waaay too much time to look at a billboard and get what some got out of it.
Seriously, all it is supposed to be and is a billboard for a tea kettle. Nothing more, nothing less.
What this shows to me is how disturbed we have become in the United States. That an advertising billboard becomes a Rorschach test and people guess DING! DING! DING! It's Tea Kettle Hitler! What do I get for guessing it right?!
People, get a grip and don't worry. JC Penney is not trying to start a campaign to ornamentalize Adolf Hitler. It is just trying to get back in the financial black and sell some tea kettles. It sure does not need this to boost or decline sales.

Stop Three On The Yellowstone Experience: Jackson, Wyoming

I know, I know.
If you have been reading this, you are probably saying, does this family EVAH make it to Yellowstone?
Patience dear reader, patience.
There has to be a build up and since this is a road trip with stops on the way, well, you should just sit back and enjoy.
In the previous post, I left you with the sort of sarcastic note that Jackson, Wyoming is home to the three liberals in Wyoming. And yes, there is some truth in that. But that is for later for getting there was as much fun as being there.
In planning this leg of the adventure, I kind of thought that Mapquest was throwing a curve out there the suggested route.
It meant going into Wyoming, back through Utah, back to Wyoming, about two miles inside Idaho and back to Wyoming. I can't actually figure out how to just put a photo of it here, so if you want to see the crazy route, here is the link. The odd thing is after mapping out other alternatives, this was the best route. It just did not sound right.
Well, we set out on Tuesday morning and before you know it, we were in Evanston, Wyoming and about to end interstate driving for nearly the next full week. We were driving up Wyoming route 89 and then it turned into Utah route 16. And we were in hardcore rural Utah at this point.
Of course Mrs. RVFTLC and I were getting hungry and the doggies need a bathroom break. And we hoped that a town would pop up we could stop in.
Then were saw Randolph, Utah.
And yes, it is a town. Really. The designation from city to town was made in 2009. And not one street light on the main drag. But there was a park and we could have lunch, the dogs could do their business and all would be well. Here is a photo of your humble blogger, Scout the Wonder dog to my right and Cashew the Little Guy on my left.

 

And apparently, Randolph is a big deal in Mormon lore. Oh, and this is the county seat of Rich County. The population for the whole county is 2,264. So, this is as rural as one can get in Utah.

After lunch and a a walk around the town a bit, we continued on our way to Jackson.

No more stopping. No rest till Jackson Hole!

Eventually, we made it long before dark too. However, we kept driving by our hotel for some reason. We were looking for the Quality Inn. Well, eventually, we found it. But you can see why the confusion here:

Yes, the street sign says the 49er Inn and Suites. But if you look closely at the big lighted sign on the chimney, it says Quality Inn right there. And the nice gal explained that it would cost more to change the street sign and that it maintains a certain authenticity which is a big deal in Jackson.

Now, for the three liberals in Wyoming.

Jackson is in Teton County and it was the only county in Wyoming to deliver the majority of votes in 2012 to the Dear Leader, President Obama. A lot of West Coast lefties have discovered Jackson and moved here and did change the complexion of the area.

But not completely.

At least in Jackson itself.

Sure, there are all the organic food places, organic coffee, envionazism and kind of what one would expect in say, Pasadena, California.

Yet it is also beyond proud of its very Western heritage. It is a crossroads so to speak. All seem to live quite well together. And through in skiers and snowboarders in the winter and all groups seem to get along. Not in an uneasy way but in the spirit of community. Here are some photos of Jackson itself.

So, you get the idea.

See, here it is not hokey. It is really the west. When a dude is around town in a cowboy hat he is the real deal. For while Jackson is the largest city in Western Wyoming, it is still under 10,000 in population. It is an area in which there are a lot of ranches, and ranches are where the cowboys work and live.

But this photo shows another side of Jackson. The animal side.

This is your humble blogger at the town square, also known as Antler Park. These are the antlers of the deer and elk that roam all over the nearby Grand Teton mountains and the town itself. No, these are not from hunted animals but remember that they do shed their antlers. And this is the result. There are four of these in each corner of the town square.

As I have noted, Jackson is great at maintaining the old ways with the new people. I do not know how much longer that can last, but probably longer than I think for because if nothing else, Jackson will not become some metropolis. It will be and maintain being a small town.

And that's what makes it the charming town that so many talk about.

 

Next stop: FINALLY, Yellowstone National Park and four days of adventure!

 

 



Stop Two On The Yellowstone Experience: Orem, Utah

As I wrote last night, Orem, Utah was stop number two of the Yellowstone Experience road trip for the RVFTLC family.
And I thought it was awesome in many ways.
And also an eye-opener on a different way of life and yet refreshing.
I have been in Southern Utah a couple of times and thought it was great. Being in North-Central Utah is almost better because it is another gateway to two of the five National Parks that are in the Beehive State. That would be Arches National Park and Moab.
Orem is in Utah County, same a neighboring city Provo. Provo is the home of Brigham Young University.
If Utah is the most Republican state in the nation, Utah County is the most Republican county.
To give you an idea, in the 2012 presidential election, Mitt Romney handily defeated the Dear Leader, President Obama. The carnage?

Romney     142,337     88.3%
Obama         15,791      9.8%

The remaining 1.9% were scattered among also-rans.
Yeah, its GOP land without a doubt.
But the interesting fact is that, again, it is a university town, Provo. As is Orem with Utah Valley University. And yet, this is the result. Which should give hope that not all college and university towns are doomed.
It is not just the politics that I love. After all, I live in the complete opposite in Pasadena, California.
You can tell that family and traditional values are important to this community.
And the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is pretty dominant.
Because this is more of a suburban area, more neighborhoods. And many, many more Mormon churches. They are distinctive in Utah especially. They are red brick and have the white steeple with no cross. LDS explain that they do not use the Christian cross because they look at that as the past and not the future with Jesus Christ in charge. Anyhow, there are so many Mormon churches that if one looks off the freeway, you can see as many as three in very close proximity. Sometimes there is one right next to another. It is amazing to a non-LDSer as I am.
And again, there is the strong family life that is encouraged here.
But, we got a bit of a shock when we went to dinner at a nearby restaurant to our La Quinta.
We went to a barbecue restaurant, the name escapes me, and it was great. But it was while we gave our nice waiter our order we noticed something strange.
We were not asked immediately what we wanted to drink. As we finished our order, Mrs. RVFTLC said that we would drink water. And the waiter said that since WE did not ask, he assumed we wanted water. And we were not the only ones. I walked around to use the rest room and NO ONE, not one person had a drink but water.
And then it occurred to me.
This is Utah. And LDS central. And a strong tenet of the faith is avoiding caffeine. As well as alcohol. It is part of a supplemental book of beliefs known as Doctrines and Covenants. And the specific belief is known as The Word of Wisdom.
Now, I am not Carrie Nation as I do not consume the Devil's Urine. But I also don't tell other people what to do on that score. Same with tobacco, even though 40 years of smoking unfiltered Chesterfield cigarettes killed my father. With them on illicit drugs. But you totally lose me on the coffee and tea. Sorry, I would be the best Jackmormon on that score.
But as odd as it was to this Coca-Cola, coffee drinking American, it was in a sense refreshing to see people clearly live what they believe.
And that is the sense I get in the whole state of Utah. The LDS influence is strong enough to even influence non-Mormons in the positive ways.
What is interesting is that in Utah County, Salt Lake County to the north and a couple of other counties, the majority of the people of Utah live. They live in an area known as the Wasatch Front, the foothills of the Wasatch mountain range. Many of the homes are built right up the hills. It is long and narrow. And trust me, when driving through Southern Utah, you yearn for this region of population.
I can not explain it other than I felt very much at home in Utah. It was great to be among people that take their faith seriously. That were genuine and friendly. And yeah, one thing about the coffee led to this comment from your humble blogger.
You know the one place you will not find a Starbucks?
BYU!
And yeah, we did find a Starbucks!

Next stop: Jackson, Wyoming, home of the three liberals in Wyoming!

Stop One On The Yellowstone Experience: Las Vegas

Two weeks ago today, the RVFTLC family was in Las Vegas on our first stop on the Yellowstone Experience.
Let me explain something about our family road trips.
I do all the planning as far as stops, lodging and how we get from point A to point B. Mrs. RVFTLC does the driving. Which plays a part in the stop process. And on this road trip, we had not one but two dogs, Scout the Wonder Dog and Cashew the Little Guy. For Cashew, it was his first big adventure. And his first night in a hotel. And that also limits us in a way as to where we stay. Thank almighty God for La Quinta, the most pet-friendly hotel chain in the United States. And here is a tip. They do not charge anything additional for you having a pet. It is part of the rate.
Part of why we did a long weekend stop in Las Vegas was that we met our son there who is currently living, working and doing grad school in North Carolina. That was a lot of fun.
We spent Friday night having dinner across from our hotel at Gordon Biersch restaurant.
Yet there turned out to be a problem.
In registering, I did have to sign a pet agreement and provide a cell phone contact number.
I had my cell on vibrate and did not realize until after dinner that I had a call and a message.
It was the La Quinta front desk calling complaining about Cashew. That he was barking excessively.
Really? On a FRIDAY NIGHT IN LAS VEGAS?! I could not believe it. In the back of my mind, I did worry about that potential. So I told Mrs. RVFTLC and we went to the front desk when we got back. And I spoke to the attendant. She said that people complained that Cashew was barking excessively and "aggressively".
Again, really?! What does "aggressively" mean when said dog is behind a locked door?
We obligatory apologized and went to our room and had a talk with the Little Guy.
And I am proud to report that from then on, Cashew the Little Guy proved to be the best little traveller.
And sadly, this is probably the last big adventure for Scout the Wonder Dog.
Miss Scout, as we also call her, is 16 years old. And before our Yellowstone Experience, we took her to the vet because, to be blunt, she was not anything of her old self. The vet told us that her spine was giving out. She did not have much time left. But he said he could put her on two medications. And we said yes and she made the trip. She is such a little trooper.
So in a sense, there is a passing of the travelling dog baton from Scout to Cashew.
The next day, we had lunch at one of Emeril Lagasse's restaurants, Emeril's New Orleans Fish House.
Mrs. RVFTLC and I LOVE Emeril! BAM! his signature trademark yell from his days of dominance on the Food Network.
This meant to visit the famed Strip and the MGM Grand hotel.
I had never been to the MGM Grand in the times I have been to Las Vegas. This was a first. And to be honest, probably my last time. Unless it is for something that we did, like lunch. It was pretty much all that one thinks when thinking Las Vegas. Hottie gals walking around the hotel in their bikinis. Ripped, in more ways than one, dudes walking around in their swim trunks or board shorts.
And the booze flowing freely. All the superficiality that one can handle.
Now, why did we choose lunch over dinner? Please, look at the link above to the restaurant. Pretty pricey, doncha think? Hey, there is a reason Emeril is a wealthy celebrity chef! LOL! But it was a wonderful meal and a great way to celebrate Mother's Day, albeit a day early.
Well, that night was a parting of the ways.
Mrs. RVFTLC and our son went to a concert as part of her Mother's Day gift. One that I was mercifully given a reprieve to attend. For it was Elton John as he is performing at Ceaser's Palace these days.
Don't have total hate of Elton. Just not a pop music fan. And it is not like Mrs. RVFTLC would want to see something like, oh I don't know. Maybe Metallica? Anyhow, I went to something else. A minor league baseball game.
The local team is known as the Las Vegas 51s, the name in honor of the infamous Area 51 of sci-fi lore. They are the AAA farm team of the New York Mets. They were playing the Albuquerque Isotopes, the AAA farm team of the beloved Los Angeles Dodgers. Essentially, it was the Dodgers playing the Mets. The home games are at Cashman Field. Not a really exciting place in the sense that is was built in the late 1970s and before the era of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. And it is not around the corner for it is north of Downtown Las Vegas, the real Las Vegas. So I was dropped off and watched the 51s end up defeating the 'Topes, much like the parent Dodgers these days. After the game, I took a stroll through the Lower Slobovia that surrounds the ballpark and made it alive to Downtown.
WOO! HOO!
To me, Downtown is what is left of the real Las Vegas. The Las Vegas of the mob running the town. It is still cool with the Golden Gate and the shrimp cocktail. Still a bargain at $2.99c. The Four Queens. The Fremont. Binion's. The Golden Nugget, the classiest of the casino hotels, and a new upscale rascal, the D. And just off the Downtown, the El Cortez. The sad thing is that a dive casino hotel I was introduced to, the Gold Spike, literally closed down but three weeks before we began out Yellowstone Experience. For a long time, it was where the penny slot machines ruled. And even the most upscale of places on the Strip now have them. But I think it kind of got hard to use as a huge selling point that every room has a private bath. In 2013, it would kind of sort of be expected.
But the vibe of Downtown is just a natural cool. Not like the Strip vibe which seems very contrived. I mean, where else can you see a Gene Simmons impersonator that had such an overhang of flab on him that he just, well it was just wrong! Yet it was real all the same.
I hung out there about an hour and made sure to have the shrimp cocktail at the GG. And no, I did not make the big killing I am always promising! LOL!
The next day we went on the dam tour.
The Hoover Dam tour that is.
It was very amazing. It is truly an awesome monument to American ingenuity. And it was built on time and under budget. It was weird to be inside the dam and seeing it up close. But again, it was very cool. And a great way to be in two states at once for it lies directly on the Arizona-Nevada state line. And there is a marker to indicate that. And yep, I made sure to stand in both states at once.
The rest of the day was down time and dinner later that night. And we said our goodbyes then as we would go our separate ways on Monday.
An observation about Las Vegas. Hell, several.
One, I have a thing about NOT calling cities by short version or nickname. Hence, I rarely if ever say "Vegas". Almost always Las Vegas. No 'Frisco for San Francisco from me. Maybe a San Fran at worst. And it is always New York City. There is a rest of a state by the same name, you know.
Two, there is something sort of sad about Las Vegas.
It is a city that owes its total existence to gambling. And while it can be fun, for many it is not fun. It is a serious addiction. For if only one can, as I joke, make that big killing. And if that does occur, the high does not diminish for the degenerate gambler will think that they can do even better. And thus fall on their sword. There just seems to be a very strong underclass that one does not even see in the Metro Los Angeles area. The homeless seem more dirty and out there mentally. And there is that underclass of degenerate gamblers that just can not get a handle on their problem. And I do not care how much advertising to try to keep the do-gooders off the casino's back, it is not enough. I am not Carrie Nation on gambling, but there really is for sure two Las Vegas. And there is the third, those that went thinking that they would live high off the hog and got hosed in the housing fiasco of the late 2000s. There are so many billboards promoting short sales, ways to try to refinance with government help and the like. It adds to the sadness that can be a resident of Las Vegas. And yet there is an alure. An allure that hearkens every five to ten years to go. Yet we will NEVER stay on the Strip. It is too crazy.
So, that is our experience in Las Vegas, stop one of the Yellowstone Experience.

Next stop, Orem, Utah. And yes, I would move there in a split second if they had a beach!

The Boy Scouts And The Left's Continuing War On Private Rights

The Boy Scouts of America and yesterday's decision to allow openly homosexual boys and teens in the ranks is not much of a surprise. After all, many members of the National Council made clear that they wanted to see the change.
Of course since they NC did not go all the way, so to speak, and allow openly homosexual scoutmasters, this is not over yet as far as the left is concerned. Many on the right are ready to pull up stakes and leave the Scouts all together. What kind of Scouting group they would form is any one's guess.
But here is something interesting.
In the linked article, the vote of the 1,400 member National Council was 61% for ending the ban and 39% in favor of keeping things the way that they are.
Yet in a survey sent to leaders, parents and youth leaders, the 200,000 that responded, well that was sure not the same as this vote. For the results of "the most comprehensive listening exercise in Scouting's history", the results showed the polar opposite result. In that, 64% opposed making the change and 34% supported the change. What's more is that the actual young boys and teens directly affected were some of the staunchest opponents of the change.
So much for actually listening to the people that count.
See, the Scouts get a lot of corporate cash. And you know how those eeeeevvvvviiiiilllll, conservative big companies HATE the gays. Oh, wait just one minute. Corporate America has already been emasculated by the twin threats of the left and their gay lemmings. So since they have been whipped, they implored on how bad it would look on them to keep this ban going.
So, Corporate America, the hard left and the gay lemmings tag-teamed and ignored the actual members and said, sure, it's cool to have gay boys and teens be Scouts.
Now, FTR, I am very torn about this on a lot of levels.
I am very concerned that this is the continuance of sexualizing very young boy and girls. It has almost succeeded especially among young girls known as tweens, usually between 10-14 years old. They are essentially being taught that that same Corporate America that they HAVE to look a certain way. DRESS a certain way. And all are not promoting modesty but a perverse sense of sexuality that at one time was deemed deviant.
Not any more.
Think that boy tweens, just beginning to recognize that they kind of like girls, are not going to be weirded out when say little Johnny tells them how cool it is to like other boys? Or what if little Johnny is  not even sure he does or does not like girls? Think his fellow Scouts are going to steer him to boys or girls?
This is just one can of worms that is opened up.
But what makes me torn is a certain amount of admiration if one accepts that he likes boys or teens and WANTS to be a Boy Scout. It certainly breaks a lot of stereotypes, often perpetuated by the very hard left and gay lemmings, of the "right" gay male.
But at the end of the day, the Boy Scouts of America is a private organization. It does have the right to set criteria for membership. If one had been, until yesterday, no gays in the group, even the Supreme Court believes that they have that right.
I am a Freemason. We also set a very high bar for membership. And we do not allow women Masons. However, there is the Eastern Star and that is the women's group. Men may belong to Eastern Star, but women can not be a Mason. And part of being a Mason is the belief in God. An atheist can not be made a Mason. A person convicted of serious crimes cannot be made a Mason.
I am sure that some people think it is a bad thing that we have such high standards. And that we do not allow women Masons. But they have been part and parcel of Masonic membership for as long as Masonry has been active in the United States.
The real fact is that the left and their fellow travellers, in this case left-wing gays, do not like private rights.
What are private rights?
Well, they are the right to private property. The right to associate with whom one wants to. The right to keep more of your money that you earn honestly rather than being taxed exhorbantly. The right to believe, for lack of a better word, the hokey. Like conspiracy theories.
Should it be a crime for men to want to be in a group of other men no matter their station in life? I am sure that somewhere someone is hatching how to make Masons accept women. Trust me on that one.
Should it be a crime to own private property? To own a home, hell more than one home? To own a car? To own a television? Some on the hard left believe that. They look at private property as some classism.
Should it be a crime that if you work hard, move up the ladder and are rewarded for it, you should keep more of that money? Again, the hard left believes that. There is no way a shmoe can get to where I am talking about. Why it is only a one percent of filthy, stinking, rich fat-cats and they should be punished for daring to be a success.
Should one be branded a criminal if the believe in way-out ideas? I mean, I abhor the "Rev." Fred Phelps, a Democrat BTW, and his hatred towards homosexuals. And while I believe he does have a right for his inbred followers to protest at whatever, the community has a right to set a standard regarding it. I do not think that he should be thrown in jail because he and his lemmings have a strange interpretation of Christianity. Yet some on the left would do just that.
Freedom includes the freedom to set up groups of like-minded people and to set their standards for membership. If one does not like it, they can form a similar group of people and set up their own standard for membership.
What happened yesterday in the Boy Scouts of America caving to the left and their gay lemmings is another assault on people's right of free association.
For free association is a foreign concept to people that do not believe in that themselves.

Been Away A Little Too Long

WOW!
I did not realize how long it has been since I last posted.
Of course I have a lot to write on a lot of topics and I am very glad for this three-day weekend. It is to be a time for catching up on a lot.
I have been actually on the road trip of a lifetime to Yellowstone National Park.
I will update a  lot from that road trip for besides the awesome, majestic beauty of Yellowstone, there are some observations on stops that Mrs. RVFTLC, Scout the Wonder Dog and Cashew the Little Guy and your humble blogger made along the way there and back.
One thing that I will note is that America is NOT, thank almighty God, like where I live deep in the heart of Blue California. Families are still strong, people are working hard and living their lives. The oft phoniness that Hollyweird perpetuates is far from the reality. And that is some of what I will share in upcoming posts.

Please, Please Koch Brothers, BUY The Los Angeles Times!!

Yes, I want to see the eeeeevvvvviiiiilllll Koch brothers, Satan's spawn very wealthy libertarian businessmen buy the Los Angeles Times and the rest of the Chicago Tribune media empire.
If this is the effect of it all, I am all in!
I am with Allahpundit on this. If the eeeeevvvvviiiiilllll Koch brothers are that bad, then quit. If you think in a contracting job market for print journalists you will be able to get another job in just as good a newspaper for as equal a salary, good luck.
The irony is that the Newspaper Guild local really, really believes that the Times is an objective third party and just providing the facts ma'am. No really! Here is the Guild's statement:

Recently you’ve seen many petitions asking that the Koch brothers not be allowed to buy the Tribune Company’s newspapers. We understand why the Kochs breed this distrust. They are active political proponents of harsh right-wing positions. We’re also not certain that Tribune will listen to anything but money when the final decision is made.

What we do know is that great papers publish credible, trusted journalism online and on the printed page. Whoever comes to own these mastheads needs to understand that protecting newsrooms from ideological taint is no small thing. The future of American journalism depends on the ability to print truth, not opinion.
We call on Tribune to make a pledge that they’ll only sell to a buyer that will protect the objectivity of the news product by making a public commitment to doing so. The Newspaper Guild-CWA and the Communications Workers of America seek your support in this goal.

Get that next to last graph?! That they are objective?! All I can write is that I am glad I am not eating as I write this for my food would be all over the keyboard and screen. Are they fricking kidding?! Who is the Newspaper Guild to tell the company that they work for who they can sell the company to? What if the buyer, as Allahpundit notes here is George Soros? Would these douchebrains be down with that? And when did the Times become this paragon of objectivity? Was this when one-time publisher Otis Chandler decided to expose the John Birch Society and officially ending their ties to the Republican party? What?! You mean the Times used to be. . .a. . .right-wing rag?! Why yes indeed it was. So now a couple of wealthy bros can't buy a newspaper because they may damage so-called newsroom and editorial "independence".
Before Otis Chandler took over the Times in the early 1960s, the Times was pretty much an organ of the Republican party. Hard to believe I know. But when Otis took over, he wanted to change the Times' image of being in the hip pocket of the GOP. And he sure did by taking a 360 of the newspaper and it slowly but surely went far the other way. The evolution was complete after Otis ended up selling the Times-Mirror company to the Chicago Tribune. In fact and indeed, the Tribune company made it an official left-wing rag.
This recent post of mine kind of explains the Times at the national level. But it pretty much caters to the Hollyweird and West Los Angeles liberal elites. The rest of the city? Uh, not so much. And regional coverage? Abysmal.
Now, why are the Koch bros so bad?
Because they are open about their politics? As if people like the aforementioned Mr. Soros is not?
Does that mean that the Koch bros would simply make their potential publications and other media holdings just a mouthpiece for their causes?
Well, the Koch bros, David and Charles, do not strike me as two dudes that would just throw their money away. They would not buy the Times and the other Tribune holdings just because. They may want to leave their stamp on the media empire, but they want to make money at the same time.
I think what you would find is that the Times would not be in the hip pocket of the downtown Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Hollyweird elites as they are now. There would be a balance of stories dealing with government corruption. And yes, even private corruption. The editorial page would probably show restraint rather than left or right wing bias at least for a while. After all the Koch bros would want to have their point of view out there. But again, I look for more hands off than a rebirth of Col. McCormick and his hold on, yes the Chicago Tribune. In fact, I think that the editorial page would be more libertarian than anything. It may be more like the Orange County Register in that respect.
But the thought that if the Koch bros were to buy the Los Angeles Times and a slew of staff were to leave, it would be totally awesome. A chance for many up and coming actual journalists to start at the top. What an opportunity.
It is why I support the Koch bros buying the Los Angeles Times. Because it is about time to clean house!