Pete Dominick Creates New Channel on Sirius/XM and It Will Be Good...

"My whole life people have been telling me what "can't be done." I never listened."

Pete Dominick - 1/6/2015 on the announcement of a new channel on Sirius/XM radio. The channel, to be known as, Insight (channel #121) debuts on January 12th featuring Dominick and other popular voices including comedians John Fugelsang, Dean Obeidallah and astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, among others. 

Dominick says, ""Comedians are able to get a point across and talk about issues that might be boring and make them more interesting," Dominick said. The radio shows "will be honest and really unpredictable, and I don't think 'unpredictable' is a word that Wolf Blitzer and Terry Gross get to use."

With perspectives from both liberal and conservative voices and programs running the gamut from Dominck's current show, "Stand Up With Pete Dominick", to a new offering from Margaret Hoover which will come from a conservative point of view. 

The channel mostly replaces the current Sirius/XM public radio. Some programs from the old channel will be carried over to Insight, channel #121.  

I've listened to Pete Dominick for several years on satellite starting with his earlier days on Sirius' political channel, POTUS #124, where I found his show to consistently be intelligent, thought-provoking and informative. Traditionally, talk show hosts, who need to generate good ratings to stay on the air, take a highly polarized position on various issues to "fire up" their audiences. Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh come to mind. Those three "experts" drone on for hours telling you what they think on various issues and usually the only guests you'll ever hear on their programs are guests who either think lockstep with them or alternate voices they bring on to basically make fun of and ridicule. There is no serious debate. There is no fair minded consideration of alternate opinions or positions. What good is that for us, the audience who's trying to understand various issues? Answer...it's not. Not at all...

Sirius/XM radio doesn't depend on ratings, so Dominick and his group of fellow hosts don't have the pressure to shock people into listening. Rather, the company measures success by subscriptions sold and by most accounts, Sirius/XM seems to be doing pretty well.

Since Dominick doesn't need to shock or enrage his listeners into tuning in, he utilizes an impressive and very diverse group of true "experts" to converse with. If he's discussing health policy, he'll bring on a person who does that for a living. If he's discussing the issue of torture and its alleged efficacy, you'll likely hear someone who has actually interrogated subjects. So, the listener gets to benefit from the knowledge and experience of experts, not some self-serving, ego driven talk show host.

If you're already a listener of Stand Up with Pete Dominick, you have a pretty good idea of what's coming. If you like politics, current events, etc. but haven't found a program or a station that feels right, I strongly urge you to dedicate a preset on your radio dial to this new offering. You may find it refreshing.

As I've said many times before, often in reference to the POTUS channel referenced above, it is radio worth paying for.

For more details, see the ABC News story right here....

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/siriusxm-channel-mix-comedy-news-28022927

Renewing Diplomatic Relations with Cuba, Two Different Perspectives...

With the stunning announcement yesterday from the leaders of both the United States and Cuba plan on renewing official Diplomatic relations, there has been strong reactions from all sides. Is it the sensible changing of course after a mostly ineffective policy that lasted fifty years or is it appeasement, with the US over-paying for uncertain returns?

Two articles for your consideration. Both are from the Washington Post. The first, from the paper's Editorial Board argues the Obama Administration gave far too much to the Castro Regime, who are now expected to proclaim victory over its larger neighbor to the North.

Read it here...

Washington Post: Obama gives the Castro regime in Cuba an underserved bailout...


The second, by Dana Milbank, also from the WashPO, takes an alternate view. Milbank comments on FLA Senator Marco Rubio's reaction. Rubio has called President Obama the "worst negotiator in my lifetime" and that he (Rubio) "knows the Cuban regime and its true nature better than this President or anyone in his administration does..."

Read it here...

Washington Post/Dana Milbank: Marco Rubio's fury over the Cuba shift shows why Obama made the right move...





Sources:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/17/us-cuba-usa-gross-idUSKBN0JV1H520141217

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-obama-administration-extends-the-castro-regime-in-cuba-a-bailout-it-doesnt-deserve/2014/12/17/a25a15d4-860c-11e4-9534-f79a23c40e6c_story.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2014/12/17/42ead216-8632-11e4-b9b7-b8632ae73d25_story.html

Former FBI Interrogator Ali Soufan Discusses FBI vs. CIA Interrogation techniques. 60 Minutes Rewind Worth Watching...

As the country digests the Senate Committee on Intelligence Report on CIA torture, there are many questions to consider. Breaking mostly upon partisan lines, Conservatives allege that the ends justify the means, while the Democrats maintain the CIA interrogators withheld and sometimes provided deceptive information, very likely broke any number of international laws regarding torture and finally, possibly increased the danger of attacks on US interests.

There are plenty of articles that examine the report's findings since it was released yesterday morning. If you're reading this, you've likely seen them one way or the other and perhaps read a few. Cable TV talk shows have all devoted some serious time to this story in the last 36 hours, as has talk radio. Papers across the world and internet news sites from all points of view are churning content out while this story is still hot.

One voice we haven't heard from yet is that of former FBI interrogator Ali Soufan. Soufan, born in Lebanon, educated in the United States, was hired by the FBI in the late 1990's and worked as a Supervisory Special Agent who specialized in investigating and interrogating international terrorism cases, including the USS Cole. the US Embassy bombing in East Africa as well as the events surrounding 9/11. The recipient of several honors including the "Director of the FBI's Award for Excellence in Investigation, the Respect for Law Enforcement Award for "relentless pursuit of truth and bringing terrorist subjects before the bar of justice," and a commendation from the U.S. Department of Defense that labeled him "an important weapon in the ongoing war on terrorism."

By all accounts, he's a very serious, talented and dedicated law enforcement agent trying his best to defend the United States against terrorism.Mr. Soufan's book, The Black Banners, (Published September 12, 2011, by WW Norton and Penguin), was selected as a book of the year by The Sunday Times. About the book and Mr. Soufan, Harpers Magazine wrote: "To those inside the U.S. government Soufan has long been something of a legend. He conducted the most effective and fruitful interrogations of al Qaeda suspects during the war on terrorism." In April 2012, Ali Soufan was announced as the recipient of the ninth annual Ridenhour Book Prize. 

60 Minutes, the celebrated Sunday evening show on CBS, interviewed Ali Soufan in 2011 about his work, his techniques, the CIA bumping Soufan and his team off of at least one significant interrogation. His interview, shown in two parts, serves as a very suitable companion piece to the current news from the Senate Report. Listen to Soufan's story and consider it against the news of this week's report.

Ali Soufan / 60 Minutes Part One:




Ali Soufan / 60 Minutes Part Two:





Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/12/09/world/cia-torture-report-document.html?_r=0

http://soufangroup.com/about/team/ali-soufan/17/

http://books.wwnorton.com/books/The-Black-Banners/

Micheal Brown & Ferguson Missouri: Its Not Black and White...

Time limits my comments on last night's Grand Jury decision to not find enough probable cause regarding officer Darren Wilson's shooting of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014.

Generally speaking, I think far too many people are speaking without the facts. From both sides.

Here is the actual Grand Jury report.

Only those 12 people knew all of the facts. They took two days to deliberate the matter and came back with a unanimous decision that Officer Wilson acted reasonably that night out of a fear for his life.

Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of conspiracy theories, so you can try and convince me these twelve members of the Grand Jury were somehow all "in on it," but you will probably fail.

This may still be one of those "right but wrong" cases where law enforcement technically acted in a legal and reasonable fashion throughout the incident, but looking back, had the officer made different choices that night, perhaps the young man would not have been killed.

To be crystal clear, the same absolutely holds true for Mr. Brown, of course...

Additionally, the riots and looting we're watching do nothing to address whatever problem really needs attention here. It is highly counter-productive, to say the least.

I can't seem to go onto social media these days and not see a report of police abuse. I understand that it is the minority of all law enforcement professionals but their actions are casting a dark cloud...an unfair one, I should say, over America's police. That's a problem that law enforcement is correct to address via training, technology, etc.

If the argument, "the cop didn't need to do this or do that" is a fair one, then so too is the argument "Brown didn't need to do this or that" as well. Maybe both men made mistakes that night. I don't know for sure if Wilson did. I'm pretty damn sure Brown made several mistakes that evening. Its not entirely black and white to me.

The sooner the outside agitators, the media, the "I'm here to help squad" which included people like Rev. Al Sharpton all leave and move onto the next big thing, the better for Ferguson, MO. The better for the families of both Brown and Wilson.

The better for all of us...

If You Read One Thing About Jonathon Gruber, Let It Be This....

Recently, MIT Economist and Health Policy Expert Jonathon Gruber has come to the media fore front for remarks he made describing the American voter as "stupid," that a lack of transparency allowed the Bill to survive and the Bill was written in such a way that the CBO wouldn't score the "mandate as taxes."

Statements plucked out of various old You Tube videos often lead viewers down a path that really isn't there.

In Gruber's case, he's been held up as proof positive that President Obama was hiding secrets all along and intentionally set out to dupe the American people. I have little time for those voices who seem a little too worked up with the realization that politicians were less than 100% forthcoming to every voter in the land. Nothing about the Affordable Care Act was "snuck in." Media coverage of this reform produced millions of thoughtful words about this entire affair. Take your crocodile tears elsewhere, please..

But, what are we really to make of Gruber's remarks and his actual role in the ACA? Is he "tight" with President Obama and coached him every step of the way or something less so?

Jonathon Cohn has an absolutely terrific article on the whole matter and takes us through the entire involvement of Gruber with the ACA, It is highly worth your time and attention. If you read one thing about this story-make it this piece in the New Republic:

You can read it here: What Jonathon Gruber's Quotes really Tell Us About Obamacare - and American Politics...