CSPAN Called ME!

CSPAN, the venerable watch keepers of America’s Congress, is celebrating the 25^th anniversary of its flagship cable TV show: Washington Journal, on Friday, Oct. 7^th with a 25-hour marathon extravaganza! Since its inception in 1980, over a half million callers have participated, and last week, They called ME!

To emphasize the “call-in” segments of the show, the powers that be at Washington Journal decided to have an essay contest with the theme: “Why I watch and participate!” I entered, using Snail Mail, rather than E-mail, because my screen name has Laffs in it, and just this one time, I actually wanted to be taken seriously.

The contest rules stipulated a 250-word essay, which yielded 25 winners, and one grand prizewinner. The grand prizewinner is invited, with all expenses paid, to our nation’s capital to co-host a segment of Washington Journal. The other lucky 25 winners will be interviewed, one per hour, on air, and will each get to read their precious essay to the whole wide world. Wow!

Last week, some 26 days after I mailed my entry, the phone rang. CSPAN’s Director of Media, a kind and helpful Ms. Jennifer Moire called to inform me that I was one of the additional 25 winners. Wow! She answered my questions and told me when to expect a call for my interview with one of the Washington Journal’s regular hosts. Be still my heart, is it Brian Lamb?

This week, one of the kindest, most sincere, and most gracious ladies of our time, Ms. Susan Swain called with a gleam in her voice. At least it seemed that way to me. She took her time with me, knowing in the goodness of her heart, all the contest winners would be thrilled to, at last, be an acknowledged partner with so esteemed a media team.

Susan, as she said I could address her, briefed me as to how the interview would progress, and She even offered me an opportunity to re-do my reading, if necessary. I told her: I am Lue Deck, The Comic in Red Shoes, and I was very prepared.

I asked Susan if I, jokingly, could propose that somebody, anybody, would nominate the founder of CSPAN, Mr. Brian Lamb, for The Presidential Medal of Freedom. Well, Brian must run a very tight ship over a CSPAN, because Susan reacted like I had just shot her dog. “No, no, no, Brian never wants to be in the spotlight!” Well, three no’s in a row convinced me this was a dead-end path, so I raise the idea here. Write your Congressman!

I read my essay and even managed to get a national plug in for The Cheers.org as well. Any of my devoted readers will spot some of my article titles within my essay. It’s like Where’s Waldo…with Red Shoes. Off the air, I managed to make Susan laugh with a couple of selected jokes I thought she’d go for.

“ Did you hear they’re actually going to make Rocky 6?
Yeah, in Rocky 6, this time, Rocky fights osteoporosis! ”

Susan laughed.

“ The price of gasoline is so high in America now…
We’re gonna have to invade three MORE countries! ”

Susan gasped a little, but she did laugh!

My essay wasn’t intended to be funny. It was intended to honor CSPAN. If you ever listen to Washington Journal, you’ll soon realize that some of the smartest people in the world call in, and so do some of the most narrow-minded people. Regular viewers get used to discerning which is which. I’m the smart ass one.

My interview will air on Friday, October 7^th at 11pm PDT Wow!
Won’t you join us? Feel free to call in!

My genuine thanks to the lovely Jennifer Moire, the talented Susan Swain, and the reclusive Brian Lamb over at CSPAN.

A copy of my essay (with the jokes I edited out for CSPAN, now appearing only here, in italics) is included at the end of this article.

Mute your TV, please!
Washington Journal contributes to an informed electorate! People get to see our democratic republic evolve its own laws! It’s remarkably like watching our original Constitutional Convention, in person.

(Except that Washington Journal’s hosts do act as referees)

If our Founding Fathers were alive today, they would all be watching, muttering, and calling into Washington Journal!

(Can’t you just see Brian trying to enforce the “ 30 days between calls” rule on Thomas Jefferson or Aaron Burr?)

Uniquely, this program acts as a social stethoscope, providing everyone, everyday, an opportunity to hear the American heartbeat!

(The heartbeat with high cholesterol and inflated blood pressure)

Observing the diverse newspapers, WJ’s audience gets to ponder what is happening, all over our country, Warts and All! Also, The Hotline, and Roll Call segments play like crazy sports bloopers. More please! Heroically, the only chance some of our citizens will ever get to speak out in public, for what they believe, is on WJ! Never lose that, please!

As long as one remembers to MUTE one’s TV, ANYONE can join in!

(Which one in four usually forget to do, those morons!)

Some callers parrot their party line; others want answers. WJ remains impartial, using separate lines for opposing viewpoints, with one extra line for those oh, so wacky Others. These far-flung seekers turn out to be the ultimate SUPPORT groups! By each show’s end, all sides have gotten almost equal time. It’s fair! WJ gets loud, and it’s often rowdy, but it is chock full of information, and C-Span’s hosts are always fair.

(The oh, so wacky Others can include: Misfits, Mavericks, ETs, hobos,

Libertarians, and former Gov. Jessie Ventura, but not Pat Buchanan!)

This is why I watch and participate.

I watched Washington Journal on its first day, I watched it yesterday, and if America Is OK, I’ll watch Washington Journal tomorrow!
(Ok, maybe I’m just a little obsessed!)

Wow, it really happened, CSPAN actually called little ole ME!

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