Here’s who DIDN’T save seattle's 4th of july

In the way that once made radio a real community "third place," KIRO veteran Dave Ross and restaurateur and recently fired KIRO talk host Tom Douglas raised $500k in just two days resurrecting the annual Independence Day fireworks display at Gas Works Park. The event was scheduled to die for lack of corporate $ponsorship.

Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Ed Schultz, Laura Ingraham, Bob Brinker, Lars Larson, Mark Levin, Michael Medved did absolutely nothing... but you can't really blame them they're so far, far away in so many ways.

A major reason radio is failing is because it’s lost its local soul. The above talkers' voices are pulled down off satellites to suck up as much local money as possible, then they're gone until the next day. A rusty fuck they couldn't give about Seattleites' precious right and custom to watch stuff get blown up on a patriotic night. 

Right-wing locals like Dori Monson, Bryan Suits, and Dave Boze too often stir up negative “poutrage” in the community or help people with the express agenda of embarrassing public officials, or making a partisan point.

These efforts seem never to last more than a day or so and are largely negative, and go unnoticed by the public at large.

And oh yeah, Bonneville International fired Tom Douglas two weeks ago.

The Seattle Times:

Thursday, Starbucks and Microsoft said they would each be putting up $125,000 in matching donations, and late Thursday night, Paul Allen's company Vulcan donated $50,000 for the event.

Their donations joined dozens of pledges from people and local businesses ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.

They were facing a Monday deadline to raise the cash because show producers said they had a lot of fixed deadlines with barge permits and event safety planning.

We keep preaching about live & local radio. For all the bluster and headlines for Rush, and Glenn Beck, what's the value added to a community by dead & far-away radio? It's local revenue lost, local listeners disenfranchised, local jobs shed, and local control surrendered; local needs and issues ignored.

And oh yeah, radio gone from the daily lives of a generation or two.

Comments

[Erictheeditor]

Hey, what's Dave Ross doing? Community fundraisers are Ron and Don's bit. I bet they're mad at Dave. What's left for them to do for 4 hours a day?

[drool]

I think Dave actually put in $1000. Dori waffled when Dave asked if he was going to contribute.

[Rich]

Dori's a schmuck

[Andrew]

Dori probably believes the people who choose to watch the fireworks should foot the bill, even though that's thoroughly impossible.

That's one way you know when a person's zealotry has gone too far: when it prevents them from engaging in decency, like pitching in for a fireworks display. Dori's utopia would have no fireworks and would feature bulldozers roving up and down the street scraping the human garbage off the streets, the people who couldn't afford to pay to have their limbs reattached or chemo treatments. In Dori Land all the people who make Good Choices live in gated communities.

[Tommy008]

i listend to Dori's show all the waythrouthe first 90 minutes or so to hear if Monson would acknowledge Dave Ross'es tremendous feat of fundraising (250,000 in less then 24 hours) and again as with waiting for any sound of his lips moving producing the words "i've sent in 1000 dollars to the radiothon) all i heard was crickets chirping. Hehad time to talk about how he was yawning a lot and how people were logging on to his webcam to watch him yawn..... it's one thing not to contribute ( to be fair we don't know Monson's finances so i suppose that's his business, although it's my guess that he could afford 1000 dollars just fine). It's quite another thing to be so small and jealous that you can't give credit to Dave Ross for this bigtime achievement.... Ron and Don are giving Ross all kind of kudos only a few minutes into their show.....

[Andrew]

My understanding is that Monson is philosophically opposed to giving people something for nothing. There is function to that philosophy, but it's already damned tough to get something for nothing in our society unless you've got the stomach to wait in a welfare line or allow your quality of life to degrade to a point that you qualify for those things. But you have to carve a little hole in your philosophy to allow for something like CELEBRATING OUR GREAT NATION'S BIRHTDAY.

I know people poor enough to apply for social security and section 8. I would never want to trade places with them. People who hold that philosophy have to realize that human aren't perfect and some of them will never make good life choices now matter how much we might try to coerce them. They are like our children and to some extent we have to look out for them lest their decaying bodies pile up outside our gate just past the security booth.

[Tommy008]

Monson called the Obama healthcare bill that passed "wealth redistribution"......you have to be really a selfish bastard to look at things that way......

[james chan]

Thanks to Tom, Dave and those who pledged....

Dave was totally guiless today,when the Mayor called in with the City's Proclamation, and Tom Douglas will flying on the wings of karma.
The fact dori refused to acknowledge what Dave and Tom initiated, and were ultimately successful in accomplishing was another display of his pathetic small mindedness. I listened too, and yes it was crickets. It is fine for anyone, dori included, to be consistant in the 'opposed to giving people something for nothing.' position. What Tom and Dave and so many others did was giving to a community that is in hard times that remaining sense of summer tradition, and community, that is shared by friends, family, and the community at large. dori and his ilk stay small.

[OSK]

Bla'm, you couldn't find a promo shot of Dave Ross from KIRO?

[Tommy008]

TOM DOUGLAS PUTS DOWN DORI MONSON LIVE ON KIRO -Shiers just had on Tom Douglas in order to give him his props and kudos for kicking off the telethon idea for the fireworks.......Douglas called Ross the best talk host in the country...thoughtful,humorous, witty, polite, not a shouter, doesn't shout over people....... Shiers jumped in and siad " you mean he's the antithesis of what I am"...Douglas responded,"no, no he's the antithesis of Dori Monson!" oh boy!

[Andrew]

This should be the wake up call for Dori Monson. If there was never a more clear failing of his life-ideology. He didn't produce. He might drive traffic to the DoriMonson show page, but he doesn't bring Seattle fireworks. His mean spirited libertairan agenda is no match for the warm liberal compassion the likes of Dave Ross and Tom Douglas. One man's legacy has been made, and another man's has been broken.

Libertarians promise that through steadfast selfishness that good things will come to a society. But as B'lam points out, all they can do is stage rallies to complain about how illegals are getting medical treatment. Liberals bring us fireworks.

[Obama is a black man]

Fireworks...now that's a lot of jobs folks. What a waste of money, resources and energy. What's that carbon footprint? How manu meals would that provide? I think the hype about this god-damn fireworks show is ridiculous.

Four people dies in an Anacortes refinery accident today and this was covered at about 5% compared to the fucking fireworks show.

[Andrew]

Conservatives always say that spending money is good for the economy... unless it's something you don't like, like a show of patriotism. THEN you get your shorts in a bunch about it.

And then you'd rather we dwell on dead people rather than focus on something good happeing for once. You;re like FOX NEWS who cut away from an Obama victory speach for live coverage of a plane that was anticipated to crash upon landing. Dark, morbid people conservatives often tend to be.

[drool]

Dori showed his true colors on this issue. It's all about HIM. Listening to him tap dance around when Dave suggested he donate was precious.

[John]

Kudos to Dave and Tom! Especially since Tom had his show dumped a couple few weeks ago.

Not only did it bring Seattle a fireworks show, but it brought a feather to the cap of KIRO 97.3 FM. Free publicity on ALL the other networks.

I don't listen to Dori any more, just can't get past the first few mintues of his daily rant. It's got to be bad Karma that he didn't get behind what turned out to be the largest PR coup in ages for Bonneville.

Kind of ironic that it was a transplant from New York that beat out the guy that grew up in Ballard.

[joanie]

Funny how nice people flock together. Dave and Tom are simply good people. I'm glad Dave is getting credit because he's never compromised his integrity. The funniest thing I ever heard him say was "nobody's listening" after the move to KIRO. He's just so honest.

He is still my only committed podcast. I catch up on Dave without fail.

[Lucas Foxx]

Great example of how radio used to work!

[Tommy008]

i wonder of Dori is aware by now of the putdown Tom Douglas zinged him with Friday night with Frank Shiers ......if so he may mention it onair..... listening to the first hour of his show... let's see so far he's talked about Tiger....President Obama opening the baseball season..hmmmm no mention of Dave Ross'es fundraising coup, which to mention since when he signed off friday the total was only 73,000 or so (Monson raised a measy 10 -12,000 to add to Daves 61,000)....no, now he's moving onto some high school pranks at a local city.......that sure is important....oh, and he's saying the President throws like a girl, hmmm i guess that's better than talking and giggling like a girl as Monson does....more with the pranks now.....doesn't look like Dave's achievement is important enough to fit into his first hour.......

[chuck says joanie is a liar. (because she lies)]

I thought that you said that you were going to quit obsessing over Dori, Tommy.
I swear that I read what you described as your last post about Monson a couple of months ago.

[Duffman]

Bottom line is Dori helped with the fund raising for Dave on his show. No one knows whether or not he contributed and how much, if any. And, bottom-line is thus Dori helped...what exactly did you do T008.
Dori's neighborhood has a fireworks show and he helps out with that...is that less important. The condemnation of Dori is unwarranted. The praise of Dave and Doug is justified, simple as that.

[Coiler]

Dori helps out with the neighborhood, fireworks show...what does that entail? making sure the gated community has fire dept access?

[Jim Palmer]

Dori halps out with his neighborhood fireworks show? Really?

[Kiel Mortgage]

Give me a break. Dori does far more carity work than anyone at KIRO.

The 24 hour wiffle ball marathon, the deep fried Thanksgiving Turkey charity, delivering presents with his girls to poor neighborhoods, etc

The guy walks the walk.

[james chan]

Ordinarily it would be just good manners to acknowledge something of community accomplishment. Now tens of thousands of people will enjoy another 4th of July celebration to take some of the stank of a slow summer of anemic recovery. Lots of people without jobs will able to enjoy something for free. dori is a little person who can't give a 'way to go Dave' to a cohort. dori may walk, but he still is lame.

[KS]

Dori is the devil to some. Obama is not the anti-Christ though - he is the anti-Moses, who is determined to lead us out of the land of milk and honey !

to the stupid glee of the progressivists/statists. Keep watching your MSLSD... Oh vay !

[Medved]

Dori's a comic book character who's time has passed. If he weren't stirring up phony outrage, he wouldn't have a show. Check out his blog posts -- "I'm a cop from Tacoma, I used to work for the Governor.."

Suuuure you are.

It's a cartoon act.

[Tommy008]

have you heard about this digusting punkass of a doctor in Florida who put the sign on his office door telling all those who voted for Obama to not come to him for medical care? Today he was bragging on a message board that he had just fired his first office employee who voted for Obama "and you should have seen the look on hteir face when i explained to them that because of Obamacare I wouldn't be able to afford to have the staff I've had in the past". This guy is a sick bastard who i s using the supposed new burdens of Obamacare on his practice as an excuse to take out his childish vindictiveness on Obama voters who are patients or employees of his. This hsouldn't be allowed- he's crowing on his message board that he can pretty much do anything he wants since he's in private practice. His medical license should be suspended. What an absolute punkass, Of course Monson is talking of him in tones that shows he sees him as a hero and a real great guy.

[joanie]

He might regret some of this crowing. He might end up with nothing but stoopid old white people on medicare. I wonder how that pays?

[Hopelessly Misguided Conservative]

this doctor is blowing it for us. We used to be a grand party.

[Puget Sound]

He might regret some of this crowing. He might end up with nothing but stoopid old white people on medicare. I wonder how that pays?

Posted by: joanie | April 09, 2010 at 08:21 PM

actually, doctors lose money on medicare patients...

[KS]

He might regret some of this crowing. He might end up with nothing but stoopid old white people on medicare. I wonder how that pays?

Posted by: joanie | April 09, 2010 at 08:21 PM

Stoopid old white people - like you ??

[Dr. Bob]

That physician in Florida is a urologist.

I am a proctologist. I will no longer have Republicans as patients because too many of them have their head up their asses.

[joanie]

Proving your idiocy once again: employed and productive (unlike chux) teachers are not on medicare, dummy.

I hope you don't design bridges, KS.

[KS]

Proving once again that you are the unabashed leader of the three stooges with your typical retort, Joanie.
You will soon be on Medicare though.

Dr. Boob - you are a quack. I'd like to sue your ilk for malpractice.

[Tommy008]

Monson wenT from cheering the Florida doctor on to condemning the families of the Lakewood murdered cops FOR SUEING Pierce County...."I feel burned", he whined....(3 of the 4 families have since dropped the lawsuit)..... in one of Maurice Clemmons jailhouse tapes where he was predicitng his coming murder spree against cops he bragged "I'm a purebred.....there ain't no bitch in me..." haha...... Clemmons, the biggest bitches in the world are repeat criminal offenders and perennial, chronic jailbirds such as yourself....you've been a bitch from the time you committed your first crime as a young teen to the day you were blessedly blasted out of existence.....