Al Smith Retiring from Comment on Kentucky

Al Smith Retiring from Comment on Kentucky Saturday, 26 May 2007 Al Smith announced last week that he is ending his 33 year run as host and producer of Comment on Kentucky on November 16. Al is one of the greatest people I have ever known. He is a man I dearly love and who I want to be when I grow up. His impact on Kentucky and the nation is incalculable. Comment on Kentucky is a great concept developed by Al and Len Press, the visionary founder of Kentucky Educational Television. I grew up in Northern Kentucky and KET was my only television news source about the state I lived in. Like many Kentuckians, my television news came from out of state (Cincinnati in my case) and KET was an important part of my learning process. Being on Comment on Kentucky for the first time (1984) was a great thrill for me. I've been on frequently and never get tired of it. Len Press Thus, I will get that same thrill next Friday (June 1) when Al has me as a guest on the show. Comment on Kentucky informs but also educates. The show brings up issues and ideas that stir debate and gets people talking. Comment on Kentucky viewers learn "the story behind the story." Although the show has a number of "regulars," Al will often host journalists from different regions and allows viewers to get a true statewide perspective. It will be impossible to truly replace Al. His leaving is similar to when Walter Cronkite retired. My advice to his successor is to keep to Al's vision as closely as possible. Al is not just my role model, he is someone who has advised me in all aspects of my life, including my health. Although the weight loss and fitness regime I started two months ago will be ongoing, there have been some noticeable results. When I appear on June 1, it will be the lowest weight Comment on Kentucky viewers have ever seen me at. I don't have a suit that fits me and hope my tailor will be cooperate by Friday. Otherwise, I may be on the show in an extremely baggy suit or in running shorts. I'll ask Al for advice on the best option. Don

Rudolph Giuliani and the OxyContin people Sunday, 20 May 2007 Well, now if I were the President of this land You know, I’d declare total war on the pusher man. God damn the pusher. -Steppenwolf Rudolph Giuliani wants to be President of the United States. He claims to be tough on criminals. In some cases, he is—unless the criminals hire him to be their lawyer. The people who make OxyContin did something horrible: they sold a drug they knew was addictive and acted like it wasn’t. I thought the makers of OxyContin got off easy when they agreed to a $600 million fine. Three of their top executives paid an additional $34 million. No jail time. It was an wimpy settlement with a company that sold over $9 billion dollars of OxyContin. The reason for the government’s light tough was found in the Washington Post. Rudolph Giuliani was a lawyer for the company that makes OxyContin. The Post said that Giuliani personally met with government lawyers more than half a dozen times. Read more...

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