IT'S MY RIGHT...AS LONG AS I PAY FOR IT

I didn't fall off the face of the earth, I've been rereading some English history that doesn't lend itself to blogging very well. At least not yet. Then I ran across this letter to the editor. This guy's ego is so off the map it's not even funny.

Station should sell anthem spot

I recently contacted McKenzie River Broadcasting in an attempt to have my company, Hyland Auto Sales, sponsor the playing of the national anthem weekdays at 8 a.m. That’s being done at a radio station in the Portland area, and I really like the idea.

The company’s sales representative sent this response to my request: “Currently, we do have the Pledge of Allegiance that plays one morning per week, Monday at 6:50 a.m. It is being sponsored. After that, we don’t do anything like this, and the program director would prefer to not do anything like this beyond what we’re doing.”

Once I calmed down, I responded to his e-mail and apologized for being too patriotic for KKNU-FM. I said, “I find it hard to believe that your station would deny me the right to play our country’s national anthem. After all, I would be paying for the airtime.”

It boggles my mind that in these tough economic times, when the entire country is in turmoil, a locally owned radio station would choose not to play the truly magnificent tribute to our freedom and heritage, especially when the station would be profiting from it.

It’s just another example of what’s tearing this once-great country apart and leaving the children of tomorrow with little to no pride in being Americans.

David N. Hyland

Springfield


Where to start? How about “I find it hard to believe that your station would deny me the right to play our country’s national anthem. After all, I would be paying for the airtime.” What is this crap? I’m willing to pay for airtime therefore you don’t have the right to say no?

This isn’t his business; it’s the broadcasting company’s business. They have the right to say no. If they want to play the Beach Boys greatest hits 24/7 it’s their business. If the station manager is a die hard Springsteen fan they can program the “Boss’s” music as often as they wish and their advertisers will tolerate.

My. Hyland has his business, presumably he has some kind of sound system. He can play the Star Spangled Banner as loud and as often as his employees and neighbors can stand. He doesn’t seem to get it. The station has the right to say no. And that’s what’s missing these days. We all start with the “it’s my right to…” and ignore the rights of the rest of us to say “NO.” Without being called traitors or Un-American

So now we get to the crux of the matter. This is bullying, pure and simple. Why should we be surprised that our children are bullies? After all, the adults around them are such good role models.