Dave Foulk Internet Flyer

This is a copy of a news release I received today from the governor's office.  For all the criticism that government is slow to react, and out-of-touch with some realities, this is a counterbalance.

This state has to deal with meth addiction, sales, and manufacture (if that's what  you want to call a dangerous witch's brew of caustic and hazardous chemicals in the back of a car, or in a spare bedroom, or a kitchen).

The provisions that allow the state to require a registry of former meth-houses could be a deterent for landlords who might otherwise look the other way when they rent some property.

Doctors and other medical workers won't be reluctant to report meth-related skin leisons..especially on children who have to live with the toxic fumes.

Medication will be less accessable to the meth cookers.  They will have to go to more places, spend more time, and work harder to con people out of sufficient amounts of Sudafed and other similar meds so they can get the main ingredient.

There are nearly six hundred children in the custody of the state of Tennessee. All of them taken from houses where meth was being cooked.  Some of them had burns, others were scared because of the secrecy in which they were forced to live.  Meth addiction breeds paranoia as much as meth making leads to worry about being caught.

This is a good step to help Tennessee.  But keep an eye on the news.  My sources tell me the big cartels from Mexico are looking at meth. It's relatively cheap to make, and there are lots of remote places in Mexico to run what agents call a superlab. That superlab technology could also be exploited in some of our mountain counties.

Some who are addicted to this stuff manage to get clean.  But as one sheriff on the Cumberland Plateau told me- "Not one of them who got clean and stayed clean did it without what they say was God's help and intervention".  That same sheriff says most meth addicts either move on, or die.

Here's the release from the state:

NASHVILLE — Governor Phil Bredesen, Lieutenant Governor John Wilder and House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh today signed into law comprehensive legislation designed to combat methamphetamine manufacturing and abuse in Tennessee.

"Today represents a major milestone in the war on methamphetamine," Bredesen said before signing the Meth-Free Tennessee Act of 2005. "These new measures will give law enforcement more of the vital tools they need to fight this deadly drug. I appreciate the General Assembly's rapid response in addressing this problem that affects all of Tennessee."

Today's bill signing occurred quickly following the legislation's final approval in the House and Senate late Monday. The bill, which saw unanimous support at every step of the legislative process, was the product of intense study conducted last year by the Governor's Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse. The legislation was handled by legislative members of the Task Force, including Senators Charlotte Burks and Randy McNally and Representatives Charles Curtiss and Les Winningham. The legislation also was carried by Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle and House Majority Leader Kim McMillan.

Most provisions of the bill take effect immediately. The centerpiece provision requiring   pharmacies to move certain cold and sinus products behind the counter takes effect in 30 days; retailers that do not have pharmacies must remove products from their shelves and cease selling them within 24 hours.

Products affected include cold and sinus pills containing pseudoephedrine, a decongestant which is the vital ingredient in methamphetamine manufacturing. The only products exempt from the new limits are those in the form of liquids or soft gelatin- or liquid-filled capsules, which currently are not deemed viable in the meth manufacturing process. Exempt products can remain on store shelves everywhere.

"This new law strikes the right balance between public safety and consumer convenience," the Governor said. "We appreciate pharmacies' and retailers' support and cooperation in the war against meth."

In addition to moving cold and sinus products behind the pharmacy counter, the new law makes several other changes including:

·          Closing the so-called "personal-use loophole" in criminal law, which allows meth cooks to secure lighter penalties by claiming they manufactured the drug only for personal use.

·          Requiring health professionals to report meth lab-related burns and injuries to local law enforcement, similar to the existing requirement to report gun-shot and knife wounds.

·          Creating an online registry within the Department of Environment and Conservation listing properties quarantined by law enforcement due to meth-lab contamination. A separate registry will be created within the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation listing the names and offenses of convicted meth cooks.

Separate from the legislation, the Governor's FY05-06 budget proposal includes nearly $7 million to attack the meth problem in Tennessee. Among other items, the budget includes:

·          $2.4 million for increased criminal penalties for meth-related crimes, including closure of the personal-use loophole.

·          $1.7 million to launch a drug court pilot project endorsed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to test the effectiveness of a combination of treatment and light incarceration

·          $1.5 million to launch a statewide education and public awareness campaign.

·          $600,000 to provide meth-lab response training to law enforcement and other first responders.

Meth, a powerfully addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, is produced in clandestine laboratories across Tennessee using relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that Tennessee now accounts for 75% of meth lab seizures in the Southeast. From October 2003 to August 2004, law enforcement authorities seized nearly 1,200 labs in the Volunteer State — a 397% increase from 2000.

The drug is particularly harmful to children. The Tennessee Department of Children's Services reports more than 700 children were involved in meth-related investigations over the past six months. Especially at risk are infants and toddlers living in homes in which toxic lab emissions and residue settle on floors and furniture.

In signing the bill into law, Bredesen acknowledged the war against meth will be a "moving target" that will require a continued coordinated commitment from the federal, state and local governments. "We're not going to solve the meth problem overnight," the Governor said. "But if we stay focused on the fundamental issues, then we're going to have an impact and make a difference."

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While I'm on this particular topic, here are some other things I see on local newscasts on a regular basis.  They have to be brainchildren of someone who thinks it's cool. At least I hope people wouldn't pick these habits up on their own:

• live reports from places where something happened hours earlier, but where nothing is going on at that particular time.  "The scene was horrible this morning, but as you can see, things are back to normal "
• reporters who always start a live report with "Well...."
• artsy walk-around shots that can make you dizzy as you try to keep up with the visual perceptive
• visual aids that reporters cleverly hold in their hand..such as a chunk of asphalt, a broken limb (not human, hopefully), or the ultimate dream of things to hold in a live report: a charred baby doll.
• anenometers- wind meters-  If it is windy, we will see stuff blowing by or shaking, or the reporter being knocked down.
• reports on traffic from the side of the road-  You're tying up traffic when people slow down to watch what YOU'RE doing.

There are more broadcast brainshowers, you recognize some of them, too- maybe from the fat guy on the radio.  I would like to hear them.

One of the things that ruined television news a long time ago was the dunderheaded idea that if a newscast has successful ratings in Durham, what they do will work in Duluth.   Radio news would be the same if there were enough radio news departments to consult.  Most large cities have real news departments, most medium to small markets usually have very small news departments, if at all.  Radio music, identities such as "imaging" - those sounds with the big announcer telling you what station you're hearing, talk programs- everything else is to some scale or another a case of monkey see-monkey do from one market to the next.

Try this the next time you're on a trip (as in travel to another city).  Television newscasts will look nearly the same, the anchors will look like the ones in another town, and the way the news is presented will likely be the same.  Listen to the FM dial, and unless you hear a station identification with a city mentioned, you probably won't know what city you're listening to.

Broadcasters did this to themselves by giving in to the side of the brain that screams profit, and ignoring the side of the brain that says creative service to the community.  There are exceptions, and some stations have enjoyed a large amount of financial gain and audience by being -gasp- different

Who says that every single story with large national or international importance should have a legitimate follow-up story by the local station?  This is a consultant's piece of advice that says stations should "take ownership" of a story.

There are some excellent sidebars that can be done:

Check on local sexual predator listings to see how the law is enforced- Talk to Catholic church leaders and members about their spiritual leader's illness-  You get the drift.

But you have also seen the silly localizations. 

I suspect that if someone manages to clone a T-Rex out of that tissue they found in some bones...and the thing got loose...the next thing we would see in a newscast is a story on whether it was possible any T-Rexes were in our neighborhood.

Leave the national and world stories with their own legs.  If there is a local angle, it will jump out at you.  If there isn't- never mind the consultant- go cover a local story.

My children are all grown and it has been years since I have been peppered with questions from an inquisitive child.

Recently, I had a chance to spend about ten minutes with a seven year old boy.  He was with a group of people at a dinner gathering- designed to celebrate Easter- when everyone in our family could be off work and in Knoxville.

We were at my father-in-law's place in south Knox County. It's near the French Broad River, and he has a couple of ponds on his place. The proximity to water, plentiful woods for shelter and food is a boon for wildlife.

We saw some herons headed for their roosting place, which led to questions about where they live and what they eat, and if they ever landed nearby. We talked about wild turkeys who hang out on the ridge overlooking the river. I told him about deer, and foxes, and other critters who shared the land.

He asked about the fence separating us from the neighbor's cows, which led to an explanation of an electric fence, and never touching it.

A small rabbit- probably an early 2005 model scampered down to some brush that had been piled up- an easy place to seek shelter from the foxes and raccoons. We talked about whether the rabbit had a white tail,since it was late in the day and a little too dark to see clearly in the distance.

There was an involved discussion about the pond: What kind of fish were there, how big, could they pull you into the pond if you caught them,what do you do when you catch them (release them). Can we come back and fish?

I drank in the questions. They were simple, straight forward, innocent, and intellegent.  And, for the most part, I could answer them to his satisfaction. 

I silently wished all of life's questions were so easily and innocently asked and answered.

Why should I let the spammers off with only a terse e-mail that I am off this week ?  I decided to be a bit creative with my office "out" message.  I hope it doesn't prompt a permanent "out" message as a result:

I am on vacation this week.  Well, not really on vacation.  I am at home.  I spent three thousand dollars to repair a backed up septic system.  So for vacation, I just go outside and look at the patch of dirt next to the house.

visit my blog site at

davefoulk.blog.com

If you are selling Oxycontin, Hydrocodone, Codiclear, Xanax, Valium, Demoral, Tylenol III, Tylenol IV, Lithium, Viagra, Steriods, weight loss, weight gain, constipation remedies, fiber supplements, emetics, migrane medications such as Midrin, Migrazone, and the all-new head-away, breast enlargement (I already have too much of those already, thank you), breast reduction (see my credit union), or any type of financial services including the special lucky  number of the day for only $14.95, reducing my loan by 110%, or selling my house and property to be used as a hog rendering plant, which is legal since Sevier County has no zoning, wait til next week and I will be right back at ya !

DO HALLERIN AND I REALLY ARGUE? 

Hallerin is one of the best friends I've ever had- inside or outside of broadcasting. Although our separate schedules keep us from spending a lot of off-hours together, we have developed a great relationship over the thirteen years we have worked together.  I believe our relationship is made stronger because of intellectual, spiritual, and cultural challenges we make to each other.

Hallerin is an optimist, a motivator, and a dreamer.  I have dealt with the empirical world of news gathering for so long that I am much more cynical.  That leads to some interesting talks.

My wardrobe is from the Emmet Kelley collection. Hallerin is always impeccibly dressed, even if he is wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, he looks like a model for GQ.  On the other hand, I look more like a before picture in a Weight Watchers ad. I admire his fashion sense, but it would drive me nuts looking so nice all of the time. I would be so afraid of ripping a hole in an expensive suit coat, I would be miserable the whole time I wore it.

The verbal jousting you hear on the radio is real. We have some basic personality and philosophical differences on many subjects.  And I love to tease Hallerin.

But we are both committed to the success of the show, and our philosophy of what the program should be for the listener is the same.  I can think of no one better to be the hub of a morning news and talk show than Hallerin. Frankly, I'm surprised he has stayed in Knoxville, because he could be quite wealthy working in a larger market.

But the most important thing Hallerin and I share is our love for our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Although we are different denominations, we have found common ground in the Scripture ,and often share prayer needs with each other.

(Chris Marion, our producer is also a fine man and a Christian who ia included on the program every step of the way. Chris makes things happen.  He is the magic of blending sounds and stories, while keeping us all on-time.)

I hope that answers a question that I hear often.  We may disagree, the arguments are sometimes real but never made in anger, and the cut-off microphones, and sometimes funny sound bites are all meant to give you a smile and get your morning started. 

Bottom line:  I have never worked with a finer man.  He will go far in life, family and career.  And he has a beautiful and loving family, too.

-Foulk

A nurse walks into a hospital room and says "Mr. Jones, I have some bad news.  Your HMO won't pay for an enema so I'm just going to have to slap it out of you."

A preacher gets the first house of his own after living in parsonages for years.  He buys an old lawn mower from a man down the street.  It's one of those two-cycle jobs.  The preacher winds and cranks and winds and cranks.  He's getting hot in the June sunshine even before he starts to mow.  A little boy comes by and says "Mister, that used to be my daddy's lawn mower.  You have to cuss it before it'll start."  The preacher responds, "Son, I;m a minister and I don't curse, and I don't think I would even know how."  The kid on the bicycle says "Just keep cranking preacher, it'll all come back to you."

I have been in this business 36 years, and I have seen my share of tragedy.  There have been young people gone- way before their time- because of youthful indulgence or poor judgment, adults who have died because of hatred, passionate jealousy, or downright evil, and those who have died from accident or simply being in the wrong place when something happened.

Now, it seems the yellow crime scene tape goes around a scene almost the moment the first officer arrives on-the-scene.  They want to “preserve the scene” as the textbooks say.  Years before that tape was invented, curious reporters and photographers were allowed right up to the scene of the crime.  Most of us had the good judgment not to touch or move anything.  Those who didn’t were usually yelled at by police, and quickly learned their lesson for next time.

That close proximity gave me an unfortunate ring side seat to scenes of people dying. I can tell you, the human body fights and fights to stay alive.  The brain closes off blood supplies to places that do not need blood in order to keep the body alive.  I believe it’s the limbic system that controls our very effort to breathe, and I have watched as badly injured people fight even for that last breath. Aside from the spiritual aspect, I believe our bodies want to live, and they will try anything within their power to keep us alive.

Paramedic friends of mine work hard to save those who are in such dire circumstances.  I am always careful what I do and say around such scenes.  Hearing is the last sense to leave us, and I have read of too many out-of-body near death experiences not to believe that they are real.

So what does this have to do with anything?  Terry Schiavo.

I have seen people badly brain damaged, and looked into their eyes, and seen nothing was there.  Machines breathing for them, fluid hydrating the body, but nothing is there. But there is something very worrisome to be about saying that this woman is in such a state.  Her eyes seem to follow objects, and she is making sounds. Are they simply sounds of her body exchanging air? They might be.  Even dead people can make sounds.  But are we sure that is the case here.  Has a brain-wave EEG been conducted lately? What do physicians independent of the case have to say?

Do we err on the side of life and think that this woman has some brain activity and some kind of life left in her?  Would she want to stay alive in that condition?  Or do we disconnect the feeding tube?  And if we do, is their pain and suffering for her in the throes of death by starvation or severe chemical imbalance?  We are treading a fine line in this case either direction. 

And my opinion is:  I don’t know.

I do know that we should all have written and witnessed advance directives on what we want done with us if we are ever in that unfortunate state.  Doing otherwise is tough on the family, tough on the physicians, and unfair to everyone- even you.

One thing I am sure of- the world-wide media attention given to this woman in Floridamight be hurting the effort to a legal resolution.  When congress convenes at midnighton behalf of one individual- you know the cameras must be rolling.

-Foulk

Word came from Georgia this evening that the man police were questioning in connection with the missing child in Florida had confessed to kidnapping and killing her.  Although there are few details available at this writing, there is one glaring fact above all others:  this child did not have to die.

The man who confessed was a multiple offender, and had accosted a five year old girl while she was sleeping in her own bed.  He did not do the full sentence that he received.  He changed his residence, or stayed in other places without notifying the Florida corrections officials.  He did not change, was not "reformed" in prison, nor did the experience of being locked away humble him into controlling his perverted urges.

Pedophiles do not change.  That is not my opinion, that is fact supported by multiple studies. Some apologists may say "they cannot help themselves".  My answer is I don't care whether they can help themselves or not.  They need to be in a place where they are permanently away from children.

Years ago on the west coast, a young man convicted of rape and murder of a couple of young boys admitted that were he released immediately, he would begin stalking more young victims. Over and over, we hear psychologists tell us how hard, or nearly impossible it is to keep pedophiles under control.  Chemical or physical castration does not work, because their urges are not only sexual, they are feelings of dominance and power over another human, and often the desire to harm. Looking into the mind of a pedophile is chilling, and a plunge into the depths of human depravity.

So what do we do when someone is convicted of sexually molesting children?

Our society must protect the innocent, the young, and those who can't fight back. I believe there are only two solutions, and neither involves reform, counseling, or any other attempt to mitigate what is in the mind of the attacker.  I believe they must be locked away for life, without the possibiity of parole, or executed, using new state statutes that provide for such a penalty, and satisfy federal scrutiny.

Anything other than that only endangers more children like the little nine year old in Florida, and countless others I would rather not write about in your morning news.