Letters From OAG Listeners

My conversation with Charlie Pierce on last week's program drew some e-mail.

Lillian Restaino Baumann, who identifies herself as "a South Floridian," wrote to say that 14 years ago, she wrote to suggest that Charlie and I should produce a book of our exchanges. A suggestion upon which — oddly enough — no publisher has pounced.

Anyway, of last Saturday's segment, Ms. Baumann wrote, "Bill, you actually acknowledged that your conversation was unique in that it cited the Frick family and the Council of Trent within a few minutes." She went on to say that she hopes Charlie and I will one day bring an extended version of our act to South Florida. Maybe next winter.

That same conversation last week dismayed some listeners specifically, those familiar with the brilliant film, 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.' When Charlie opined that folks coming to our live show next Monday would see everything, including the big board, I goofed in my response. I identified the character who spoke those lines in Dr. Strangelove as Jack Ripper, played by George C. Scott. Scott did speak the lines, but he wasn't playing Jack Ripper.  This provoked Fletcher Smith to e-mail this message in large type: "BUCK TURGIDSON LIVES."

Mr. Smith was right, as were numbers of others who e-mailed or posted corrections on our website or on our Facebook page. Perry Bradshaw of Des Moines, Iowa, closed his e-mail as follows: "Initially this mistake concerned me. Then, I learned how to stop worrying and love the show."

None of this is likely to appease Deb Mangon, who e-mailed before Saturday's show had even ended to say, "You have so little content that's worthwhile. Please toss the rubbish and save what is informative."

Let us know what you regard as trash and what as treasure.

Finally, in response to my mid-week commentary regarding Donald Sterling, Donna Burgess left this message on the listener line.

“People have been talking about the racism involved in it. From a woman's standpoint, there's a whole lot of misogyny and sexism involved in it, too, from his wife to his girlfriend, if you want to call it that. People seem to think it's like a joke, or, better, the old boy thing and ha, ha, ha, but that's there as much as racism.”

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