Chip Franklin

Clorox Cocktail

2020-05-12T08:12:00.001-07:00

Chip Franklin

2014-06-07T21:02:00.002-07:00

by Chip Franklin

I can’t imagine what was wrong with Elliot Rodger, the 22 year-old who went on a murderous rampage last week. The You-Tube video and the 140 page long letter are disturbing reminders that growing up is hard enough without demons floating around in your head. (BTW, media: please quit calling this an F’n manifesto. Technically it may be. But I’ll bet that “manifesto” is one of the buzzwords that carries with it a level of sophistication, inspiring other mentally ill to contemplate such carnage.)

And unfortunately, his actions seem to be yet the latest domino to fall in a series of school shootings that also mirror the rise of cable and social media in our culture. And ironic I suppose. Young people struggling to express themselves also stumble upon an audience for their darkest fantasies.

So what’s the answer? Easier mental health intervention? More support for parents who suspect their children have bi-polar or schizophrenic tendencies? Less stigmatization? And of course, the 800-pound elephant; tighter control of gun purchases? Yes to all.

I’m a big believer in the 2nd amendment. In principle. But the application of Madison’s intent has been skewed, to say the least. Most of us may have the right to have a gun, but that doesn’t mean everyone should. Guns don’t make us safer. Wisdom, experience, and common sense are the greatest attributes one can possess in any culture, and with violent crime actually decreasing, even more relevant today.

The NRA has many members who loudly support their message of gun training, gun safety, and strict obedience of existing laws. But they also have a political arm that is heavily funded to beat down any attempt to restrict access to guns by people who few would argue shouldn’t possess firearms. At the end of the day, across a beleaguered nation, the NRA casts a shadow of money.

But rounding up guns is not the answer. Or amending the constitution. What’s missing is a dialogue between ALL Americans without the Far RIGHT and Far LEFT taking every opportunity to turn up the political rhetoric. We need to stop scaring everyone, and start educating people.  
This is a fact. Guns can’t protect you from insanity. And insane people shouldn’t have guns. Let’s start right there.

No Identity Crisis Here, You’re A Jerk

2014-06-07T21:01:00.002-07:00

by Chip Franklin

May 28th, 2014

Two radio hosts were fired after remarks that mocked transgender people. Yawn. Pathetic punks. (One of them is a women, so much for the white guy talk show host a-hole stereotype.) I don’t know any transgender people, or fully understand the internal conflict tearing them apart. BUT, transgender CITIZENS of this country have been attacked their whole lives. Attacking them isn’t funny or brave. And anyone who does so is a coward.

I get funny. I was a comedian and did talk-radio for 20 years. But funny isn’t kicking those who can’t fight back. It’s mocking those with real power and influence. I love the faux conservative who ignores the billions in payoffs to congressmen turned lobbyists doing the K Street-Congress reach-around, all the while assailing the “moral decay” brought on by Gays, Hollywood, etc. And Republicans wonder why anyone with a couple of years in college looks at them as knuckle-dragging neanderthals. (The same applies to those on the left who mock Limbaugh’s weight or hearing difficulties. Listen to his show if you want to criticize him. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.)

You want to impress me? Go after a military contractor ripping off millions. Or a congressman from the party you back. Or just someone who can push back. This is not about political correctness, or the 1st amendment. It’s about bullies who got their asses handed to them. Good riddance.

Chip Franklin on Aliens and Immigrants

2014-06-07T21:00:00.001-07:00

By Chip Franklin

The rhetorical war against immigration heats up every four years, and as we head into the 2016 election cycle, don’t expect anything different. Republicans, trolling for votes in the Duck Dynasty demographic, will again characterize illegal, or undocumented immigrants here as both a threat to national security, and a pox on our economic and social houses. And again, the effort will doom them.

Perhaps it should be noted that both the illegal “across the border at night” immigrant, as well as the millions of others who overstay their visas, (including hundreds of thousands of white Europeans,) cost the US billions in social services and health care. Albeit, percentage-wise, less than American citizens, there is, nonetheless, a cost associated with their presence. But it should also be noted that because of their illegal status, they must be paid under the table. For less than most workers, and no taxes, workman’s comp, or unemployment set aside. A CBO estimate puts that unrealized number in the tens of billions. The Dream act and other pro-immigration legislation would close that gap, and eventually turn illegals into US citizens. New citizens with a vested interest in the country that for many has been home already for years.

So why do Republicans oppose immigration so heartily? For many, it’s a question of fairness, a reasonable and defensible argument that the millions of immigrants who petition the US for visas are having their efforts thwarted by people crossing illegally. But sadly, for many more, there is a deeper, more sinister reason. And the entire Republican party, from the David Duke contingent, to the Log Cabin Republicans, the message of fiscal responsibility has been lost in the tyrannical ultra- right social agenda. Which is so ironic as to wonder if anyone can even define the word. GOP used to mean something. Now? It’s a rudderless ship.

We are a nation of immigrants. That’s a fact. And we are a nation built on Judeo-Christian ideals. The Republican party needs to remember from where they came, and the Democrats need to stop making political hay out of an opportunity for all Americans, and Americans yet realized.

Chip Franklin and the New media

2014-06-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

By Chip Franklin

The New Media, that many decry destroys the fabric of everything it touches, is fighting back.

The digital age, and the Pandora’s Box it opened, has irrevocably altered the business model for anything that can be copied and passed on for free. There is truth that many aspects of journalism, music, art, and publishing will never be the same. And that transition is both rough and worrisome. But with all change, there is hope and opportunity.

The same online community that shares music, that stopped watching network television, that only listens to music on their iPhones, has given hope that the cold and often lonely place we call the Internet, can affect real change and alter the arc of human tragedy.

Over the last few years, social media has proven to not only have a heart, but a muscle as well. Governments and large corporations who once controlled and distorted the truth can’t stop Twitter, Facebook, and Bloggers from reporting the truth thru images and first hand accounts.
The Revolution may not be televised, but it will be tweeted.

And that brings me to my friend John Jennings. As most of you know, John is a guitarist, producer, singer of some renowned, having played on and produced many million selling CD’s over four decades. But recently John came down with an aggressive form of cancer that has commanded both his attention and financial resources.

Enter IndieGoGo.com

John’s close friends, most notably, Mary Chapin Carpenter, put together an online fundraiser that in a matter of days, has netted John over $50,000 much needed dollars. Without the internet, without sites like Indigogo, such a thing would have been a massive undertaking.
Instead, there was a massive outpouring of good will and love.

The Internet’s Third Act is still yet to be written,
but as long as there are people who care, there is hope.

2014-06-07T20:58:00.001-07:00

by Chip Franklin

Major league baseball’s use of “video review” bothers me. And not because my team has been on the short end of the reversals. For the record, I don’t like it for football either. No, the video review reveals more about us than it does truth, justice and the incomplete pass.

When I was in high school, there was a basketball game that was in the final moments, with the score tied, when a ball when out of bounds off our player. The ref missed it, and awarded the ball to us. Our guard stepped forward and told the official it was off him, and the call was reversed. Imagine that. Justice without replay.
Not to say that his teammates didn’t give him some serious grief, and it helped that we won, but what a unique moment. Today, the likelihood of a professional athlete doing the same is between nil and none. Why? Because the climate is all about winning? Maybe. But I think it’s more about accountability. Or the lack thereof.

Long before social media, the internet, and instant replay there was this idea that not everything is always going to go your way. And you have to learn to live with that. That concept builds character.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga almost threw a perfect game a few years ago but for the fact that the umpire, Jim Joyce, blew the call at first base on the final out. Joyce was near tears after the game upon realizing what he has done. To his credit, Galarraga forgave him and the two have since become friends.

In major league baseball history, there have been 17 perfect games, and one imperfect game. Ironically to some, Galarraga’s 28 out “perfect game” will always stand out in my mind as the reason why I hate replay. We are imperfect creatures. But it is those imperfections that define us and push us to be better, stronger, more compassionate people. And if evolution has taught anything, it’s that those imperfections are often our greatest strengths.

SAT test Chip Franklin

2014-06-07T20:57:00.002-07:00

By Chip Franklin

The creator of the SAT test died. Sad.
Seems he was in a car going 60mph north when he hit a train going 90 mph west…

I never tested well in school. There’s another way of saying that, but it’s just spin. I wasn’t very intelligent. That’s OK. I was smart. And imaginative. I couldn’t “Solve For X,” but I knew enough to understand that “X” doesn’t matter.

It’s quite possible that the High School classroom could be the biggest waste of four years in a young person’s life. That’s not to say there isn’t an education to be found, it’s just not in the classroom. And teachers, take note. It’s not your fault. I believe that if teachers were allowed to teach, if classrooms were allowed to grow organically, the kids might just learn something. But there’s no learning when the only thing that’s being taught is how to take a test. And the blame is widespread.

I went to a Catholic school where the nuns could arbitrarily hold you back a grade if they wanted. That’s because they knew you better than a letter grade ever could. But that ship sailed. Today, students graduate without being able to read, much less solve for X. And No Child Left Behind is not leaving any child behind. No, by lowering standards, they are insuring that every kid learns nothing, except how to look behind the curtain.

I want to help kids like me, who struggled early. I learned the hard way, knuckles on the back of my head and three months of summer school. And eventually, after 14 years of college, it became clear that I was not normal. But it worked out for me because of a resilient mother, caring sisters, paternal brother in laws, and a whole lot of luck.
Today, cities are graduating less than 75% of the children in school. And the rest are learning lessons that cost us all.

So, if your kid takes the SAT this weekend and gets a score that is more SDSU than UCSD, don’t fret. Remember Shakespeare when he said, “The future lies not in the stars, but in ourselves.” And he didn’t know shit about “X.”

Throw-To Videos

2014-05-30T13:20:00.004-07:00

What is Inside Media? It’s video that works. Start with The Interview. There’s a reason why celebrities and politicians have appeared on talk shows from Carson, to Ellen, to Bill O’Reilly to Jay Leno. It’s because they work, offering clients, peers, and the media an intimate look at who they are. And isn’t that where credibility starts?The “Throw-To” interview allows you a chance to stay timely and relevant, and pounds home the credibility factor. Our Testimonials are shot by award winning cinematographers, and take the man on the street moments to another level. And :61 Seconds reinforces that we now “control our own media.” If we want to make a :10 second or a 2:00 minute message, we can. Create powerful messages that meet your needs, not the other way around.

This is Inside Realty

2014-05-30T12:56:00.001-07:00

Who is Chip Franklin?