Reminder: The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy is Tonight

Don't forget that The Vast Right Ring Conspiracy Radio returns live tonight at 8 with Jimmy and Ethan.

Listen in or watch live tonight at 8 PM.

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Outrageous and Despicable Murder of Trayvon Martin

--Richard E. Vatz

I hear periodically that conservatives, even if they are not racist, are racially insensitive. I cannot address all such accusations, but I do understand the perception that genuinely racist atrocities bring out insufficient anger from those on the right.

Let me, as a conservative, just address myself to the unspeakable barbarity that occurred to Trayvon Martin.

The young Florida man was killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Without a shred of evidence or proof, Mr. Zimmerman says he ended Trayvon’s life in "self-defense."

Trayvon was talking on the phone to his girlfriend when he was the victim of this cowardly lynching-nature murder. He was stalked down and mercilessly killed.

As described in his family’s lawyer and not disputed to this point in USA Today, “Trayvon had walked to a nearby 7 Eleven to get skittles and a drink for his stepbrother, and other snacks to watch the NBA All Star game on TV... officials released the 911 call that Zimmerman made to report a suspicious person. Against the advice of the 911 dispatcher, Zimmerman then followed Trayvon: "These a**holes always get away," Zimmerman says in a call to a non-emergency number.
Dispatcher: "Are you following him?"
Zimmerman: "Yeah."
Dispatcher: "We don't need you to do that."

I cannot imagine a more horrible experience than a family’s learning of the ending of a fine young man’s life by a racist dimwit who claims and possibly believes he killed him in self-defense. Even without further investigation of evidence, it is reasonable to assume that Zimmerman’s evidence is that Trayvon was walking suspiciously. My surmise is that if he was walking slowly, that was suspicious to the expansive definition of suspiciousness of a racist; if he was walking speedily, that is evidence of his walking suspiciously. Whatever speed someone is walking is “suspicious” when you have already condemned him.

Let’s not mince words: young Mr. Martin was killed because he is an African-American. The fear this creates in Black families is justified.

People mistakenly think that the evidence needed for conviction extends to the evidence needed for a citizen to react to a horrible crime; it is not.

This act is unforgivable. Don’t tell me that the perpetrator had understandable misperceptions. He did not. He was a vigilante who murders and then tries to depict the situation as warranted his violence.

Just awful beyond words, and God bless the family of this wonderful, innocent young man, Trayvon Martin.


Professor Vatz is a professor of rhetoric and communication at Towson University

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Seeing Red debuts tonight

The very first episode of Seeing Red debuts tonight at 7 PM only on the Red Maryland Network.

Be sure to click here to listen!

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Red Maryland Radio: 3-17-2012

Our special St. Patrick's Day Edition, featuring me, Andrew Langer, Greg Kline, and Mary McCarthy...

Listen to internet radio with redmaryland on Blog Talk Radio

Video streaming by Ustream

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Red Maryland Radio: Special St. Patrick's Edition

Don't forget there will be a special edition of Red Maryland Radio with Andrew Langer, Greg Kline, Jimmy Braswell and I broadcasting live from the "World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade" at Doc's Riverside Grille in Centreville. Broadcast starts this morning at at 10:30 am. Feel free to join us for a mini meetup/Tweetup.

For those of you watching at home, you'll be able to watch here or listen here.

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Red Maryland Radio: 3-15-2012

Hope you caught another great episode of Red Maryland Radio tonight.

Listen to internet radio with redmaryland on Blog Talk Radio

On the show, Greg and I discuss:

• The Democrats budget shenanigans in Annapolis;
• Elected School Boards in Anne Arundel County;
• More on the developing situation regarding Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold;
• And further discussion of upcoming Network developments
  

Be sure to listen every Thursday night at 8, on the Red Maryland Network.......and don't forget that you can subscribe to the Red Maryland Network on iTunes.

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Red Maryland Radio Tonight

Another great episode of Red Maryland Radio comes at you tonight at 8 PM

Tonight on the show, we're gonna touch on:

• The Democrats budget shenanigans in Annapolis;
• Elected School Boards in Anne Arundel County;
• More on the developing situation regarding Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold;
• And further discussion of upcoming Network developments
  

Be sure to listen tonight and every Thursday night at 8, on the Red Maryland Network.......and don't forget that you can subscribe to the Red Maryland Network on iTunes.

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Network Notes

Quite a few network notes to get through here this evening:

• There will be a special edition of Red Maryland Radio with Andrew Langer, Greg Kline, Jimmy Braswell and I broadcasting live from the "World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade" at Doc's Riverside Grille in Centreville. Broadcast starts at 10:30 am. Feel free to join us at this event for a mini meetup/Tweetup.
  
  
• The Network's newest show is Seeing Red featuring Andi and John Morony, and it debuts in its regular time slot this Sunday, March 18th at 7 PM.
  
  
• On March 22nd we'll be having the one year anniversary show of Red Maryland Radio. Stay tuned for more info.
  
• On March 29th, Greg and I will be broadcasting live from the U.S. Senate debate being sponsored by the Maryland Republican Party and the Anne Arundel Republican Central Committee. More details on that show to be announced.
  
  
• Finally, keep June 2nd free on your calendar, as there will be a Red Maryland Meetup and Tweetup held in conjunction with the Maryland Young Republicans 2012 Convention being held in Annapolis.
  

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The VRWC Radio: 3/13/12

Video streaming by Ustream

Listen to internet radio with redmaryland on Blog Talk Radio

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The Broadside 3-12-12

On this week's episode of "The Broadside", Mark and Andrew were joined by Mike Graziano from the Prince George's County Realtors. They talk about the proposed taxes on home ownership that are being proposed, including the changes to the home mortgage deductions.

Then David Boaz from the Cato Institute, joined the guys to talk about the conflict Cato is having with Charles and David Koch!

Watch on BroadsideTV on UStream

Listen to the audio on BlogTalk Radio or subscribe to The Broadside and all Red Maryland Network shows on Itunes.

Listen to internet radio with redmaryland on Blog Talk Radio

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Answer to Scurrilous Attack on Ron Smith by Jewish Times Writer

Two weeks ago to its discredit The Baltimore Jewish Times printed a scurrilous attack on Ron Smith by one of its writers. I sent in the following response which The Times published on its website.

--Richard E. Vatz

To the Editor:

As perhaps the most frequently appearing in-house guest professor on WBAL-Radio's Ron Smith’s talk show over the last decade, I take exception to the canard issued by writer Issachar Friedmann regarding “the indisputable fact” that Ron was “the No. 1 media anti-Semite in the Baltimore AM dial” or that he was anti-Semitic at all.

If Ron was an anti-Semite, he hid it pretty well. I am Jewish; his favorite producer was Jewish; he had Jewish colleagues who revered him, and his guests sported many Jewish experts. I knew Ron for decades and never heard him make an anti-Jewish slur. Never.

It doesn’t matter. To accuse a recently deceased man of such a horrible label is easy to do through age-old logical fallacies.

Guilt by association: Ron liked the political positions of Joseph Sobran; ergo, he must be an anti-Semite? He liked Pat Buchanan. I was with Pat on Crossfire and his radio show – am I an anti-Semite?

Argumentum ad populum: “Ron Smith was widely viewed as racist by the local African-American community.“ Well that certainly is dispositive. Where is the evidence for that claim? How could C-4 and Gregory Kane never see that side of Ron?

Non Sequitur: Friedmann says Ron was “not much taller” than Michael Bloomberg, yet called him the “Little Mayor,” allegedly proving Smith’s anti-Semitism. Where to begin with that one? Ron was about 5 inches taller than Bloomberg, and if making remarks disparaging height were evidence of anti-Semitism, we would have to adjust the estimate of anti-Semitism up about one thousand notches.

It is hard to say whether Friedmann’s ugly column alleging Ron Smith’s anti-Semitism is more illogical or cowardly, waiting, as the author did, until after Ron’s death to print it.

Friedmann’s poorly researched calumny will not stain the preeminent talk show host Ron Smith’s memory among sophisticated people, only among gutless and desperate rumor-mongers.




Richard Vatz



Richard E. Vatz, Ph.D.
Towson Distinguished Professor

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