Breaking News! Obama Likes Frozen Vanilla Custard!

Look, I am not about to fault a father for taking his daughters out for ice cream. Some of the best moments in my life have been over ice cream with my daughter. Or gelato, or Dippin' Dots or some other frozen confection. But FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! The CBS White House Correspondent, Mark Knoller treated this outing like a State of The Union address.
My real problem is that today's "State Run Media"treats every step this guy makes like it's the most important thing happening. Sure, there's a N. Korean ship dawdling about with some UN banned weapons aboard, threatening to "test launch" them. The streets if Iran run with the blood of innocent citizens as Ahmadinejad threatens to release the Revolutionary guard upon his own people. Oh, wait Sascha likes sprinkles and Michelle wears J. Crew!!!!!
Even the general public here in the U.S. are beginning to sour on the Supreme Leader's deficit spending and his approval rating overall. (only 33% "strongly approve")But wait...............Wait for it.....................The Obama's also purchased some "Puppy Pops" for their dog, whatshisname.
Maybe it's just me, but how long will this President get a free ride in the media? The only media members calling him to the carpet are brushed right under the same. Oh wait, that's right, they are just racist.

Democracy Kicks Total Ass

Rarely am I happy to see protestors taking to the streets, especially here in America. It's usually some fake blood covered, long haired, college students shouting "no blood for oil" or some such bullshit. These people protest more because it's fashionable and less because they really have any real understanding of crucial geopolitics. I don't totally disregard their efforts though. It really is a great way to meet hot young liberal chicks and get laid! Grow your hair out, buy some Birkenstock sandals, perfect your anti-war, anti-Bush, anti-Haliburon rhetoric and you are as good as gold. The steamy, hot monkey love with unshowered, hot little lefty girls is almost garaunteed. You'll just need to hold your nose & have a little patience with armpit hair longer than yours. But I digress.

I couldn't be happier when I watch the protests in Tehran. I realize that people are being killed and injured in the process but can you think of a better cause to die for? Democracy not only kicks ass, it's really worth dying for. Iran is has been at a tipping point for some time now. The majority of it's population in their mid thirties or younger. They are fed up. They want what we have and they want it now. This election was bullshit before it started. Did anyone really think that reformist candidate Mousavi had any chance at all? There were tens of millions of votes counted in just four hours. Four hours? You just cant rig an election like that in our world today & expect to get away with it. In the old days, dictators like Saddam could just declare victory, kill those who disagreed, and brutally rape & torture the families who dare speak out. Simple.

What's remarkable about this Iran situation is that even though the Iranian government has been shutting down internet acces, removing journalists and blocking cellphone service, the news is STILL getting out! Grainy cellphone video says it all. This is the Islamist whacko's worst nightmare! Now the whole world can witness their depravity laid out in excritiating detail! No longer can the "Supreme Leader" (yeah, they actually have a position titled supreme leader) continue his reign of righteous terror in the name of Muhammed without global scrutiny.

I hope these protests and demonstrations continue until something gives. Our own "Supreme Leader", President Obama has until now only projected a "sideline approach" in urging the violence to stop. Ahmadinejad has warned the west to mind our own business. "Hey, nothing to see hear, move along, just some pesky protestors, no biggee" He has warned the west to stop interfering. Obama needs to wrench up his/our rhetoric. Show the grainy videos, show the bloodshed, show the people of Iran fighting and dying for their freedom. Hey, is it unreasonable to want to end the public stoning of women? Iran is a country on the edge. Pay attention. It's not often in our lives that we will have the opportunity to witness an honest to God revolution.

To the Iranian people I say keep it up, demonstrate, strike, fight. Be relentless. Remember the lives lost will not be in vain.

Here we wince at the images of people dying in the streets for freedom, for democracy, what the fuck do we know. The last images of car burning, window smashing demonstration here in the US were when the Lakers beat the Magic.

My Dream Job

Five years ago I thought I had achieved a dream of mine. To make a living doing the kind of radio I liked doing. I started sending tapes to Real Radio back in 1997. I am sure that they all went into the trash immediately. I worked at the time for an FM talk station in Austin Texas, KJFK but I knew that WTKS was where I needed to be. This is where it all started, the model for ALL FM talk stations across the country. I probably sent 30 packages in hopes of getting a job here.One morning my boss in Austin called & said not to bother coming in, the station was flipping formats. Hispanic, Tejano or some such crap. My first radio firing was official. I started looking for another radio gig immediately. Tapes, (yes tapes), resumes, pictures, ratings info and some xerox copies of local BS awards I had won, all packed in manilla envelopes ready for the US mail. I sent out a hundred at least. Nothing. Maybe I wasn't any good after all. Maybe I should stay in the bar buisiness. Maybe this radio career is a pipe dream. What is a "talk radio host" anyway? Was I one? I didn't have a diploma that declared it so. I did however get a couple of calls from station managers & actually was flown out to Omaha Nebraska (yes, I considered a job in Omaha) to meet the station owners. I got an offer from Omaha. It depressed the crap out of me. Omaha.Finally I found an ad in a trade magazine for Orlando. Not WTKS but one of it's sister stations, 540 WFLA! They needed a host. A political host. I overnighted one of my "packages" & sat by the phone. Well, it rang & on the other end was Tom Benson the program director (he also got fired yesterday). He wanted to meet me. 3 days later I was on a plane to Orlando. Could I do political talk? Can't be THAT difficult huh? During my visit I got a tour of the facility. It was a far cry from my humble beginnings at KJFK in Austin. These studios were incredible! WOW! They were HUGE, the didn't have folding card tables in them, they had computers, nice leather chairs etc. Back at KJFK, they used "carts" for commercials. Carts are like 8 track tape cassettes each with one commercial on it. The entire wall in the studio was a giant rack that held a few hundred of these things. Clear Channel had computers, slick boards, real studios!After the tour I was introduced to Chris Kampmeier, the guy who had been throwing my tapes in the trash for 2 years. I recieved an offer and accepted it 3 minutes later.For some reason I thought it was a good idea to take this job even though it wasn't my dream scenario, it was right down the hall from Real Radio! I followed the shows on RR closer than the ones on my own station. Stern, Monsters, Philips Phile, Garabo (yeah, I listened to Garabo). In 2003 Clear Channel fires Stern and moved the Monsters into the morning. It took me a few days to get the balls, but I walked into Kampmeier's office & annouced....."I am your man". Kampmeier had no idea what I was talking about. I said " I am your man for the opening at Real Radio"! His exact, response was, and this is a quote......"You are aout of your f#&#^$g mind, bud"! I was crushed. it was over. Back to AM for me.A month later the station's employees got together to discuss who should fill the opening. Jim Philips spoke up & said, "what about Shannon Burke"? "He has the chops, as long as he drops that conservative crap" More to come...........Stay tuned!

The Blog Begins

Welcome to my Blog. My name is Shannon Burke, former radio host for Real Radio 104.1 in Orlando Florida.

There are some things you may be looking for here that you are not going to find. You won't find any discussion about my current legal issues or the case. Sorry. What you will find are my current thoughts, musings & feelings.

I will be blogging as much as possible, it's good therapy (not that I am not getting enough of that lately).

Please come back often & check for new stuff. My first "real post" will go up this evening. It really is me, not an imposter.

Hope you like it.

Shannon