Today was 'one of those days' for me. I experienced the best and worst of the show w/in the same show.

First:*Happy*- I was happy to be able to have Brad Blakeman on the show. Brad was the topic of a Sunday front page N.Y. Times article *yesterday* ! The article was picked up in hundreds of newspapers across the country and internationally. Brad was flooded w/ media requests and made time for the show-because, in his words re: a previous interview : I was a "...worthy adversary...".

Second:*Raw Fun*- From Brad to a very entertaining call from a gentleman who asked if I had ever heard of a song titled: Draft Dodger Rag > I told him "no, but can you sing it for me"-not only did he sing, but accompanied his voice w/ acoustic guitar-great raw,spontaneous radio-REALLY worth listening to on the archives(btw-I countered w/County Joe and the Fish[live at Woodstock],I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag).

Third:*Sad/Anger/Confusion*-Today,October 1, is the 14 'anniversary' of the kidnapping,rape and murder of little Polly Klass. Mark's been a guest a number of times so I contacted him and asked if he'd talk with us today, to which he agreed. I am always in awe of Mark, as I cannot comprehend how he continues to live, but as he said to me again today: "Louie, if we don't they(the perpetrators-monsters) win."
Yes, Oct first,1993 was the day that Mark Klass and Polly's mom will never forget. I made the mistake of thinking that most media outlets, especially those in California, would also never forget. I found out how wrong I was.
Last year on the 35th anniversary of the*free speech victory* won for us, on behalf of the NYTimes by Atty Floyd Abrams(the then young lawyer that fought and won the case in the US Supreme Court), I asked atty Abrams to come on the show and *kvell* a little and talk about the importance of that victory, then and 35 years later---and yes, I was surprised to learn that we were the only media outlet to interview him about *that* case on *that* anniversary. Atty Abrams said "Well, Louie this is the only interview that I was asked to do today(about *that* case) I'm doing a few minutes w/ a Chicago station on another matter...". Are we becoming, as Brad Blakeman said this afternoon, *momentarians*-just living in the moment ?
Back to Mark Klass, Mark talked about this day, his foundation(Klasskids.org) ,the loss of his daughter, his disappointment w/ U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein and other politicians-political *leaders*, then we broke for the six o'clock news. I heard the story come on about the little girl who was video taped while being molested, the search for the molester etc...I broke back in w/ Mark and we talked about that 'case'. I thanked Mark for being on , for making time on a day that must have been 'media-busy' , again, because of today being the anniversary of that hellish day. Mark let me know that our interview was the only one. My mind raced as to why-I wondered if I should have called him-I am certain that Polly's never far from his mind, but was it too much? Then my mind raced to the rest of the media-isn't this story important? Isn't remembering Polly's abduction,rape and murder *more* important that Britney losing custody of her children? I thought,maybe I am wrong,maybe I should have left this man, who's suffering is never-ending, alone today.

I gave this a lot of thought, as today's show ended abruptly w/ me thinking that I don't belong in radio, that this isn't for me.

Fourth: *REALIZATION* No, I know what's important here. I know that people like U.S.Senator Diane Feinstein must be exposed when they fail to do their jobs. I know that my job is to *do the right thing*, not because it's popular, but because it's important. I know that too many in the media fall for the 'three card monte/shell game deception that political leaders and lobbyists are so adept at-and where shock and ratings are more important than real issues...from the national media's failure to cover the anniversary of the abduction,rape and murder of a little girl at the hands of a recently released offender, to the local media's failure to cover the *STILL* dysfunctional criminal justice system here in the valley. Well, as Mark Klass said on today's show, "what's it going to take? one of their(political 'leaders') children to be abducted, raped and murdered?", or locally, for an emergency 'releasee', to commit a horrific crime for the political 'leaders' and the media to pay attention?