I guess the national media will pick up on this sooner than later.
I’m not sure about that, I had to use google to find out what UNC-TV is. Apparently public broadcast TV ran by the University of North Carolina. That’s like finding out he’s on the water utility commission of his home town or something.
I think it’s pretty common for PBS stations to be associated with universities.
I believe liberal news outlets like Huffpost will not be too happy about this.
Maybe, I’m just saying it’s not like he was named to some major thing. I imagine this position is probably unpaid and entails doing very little actual work. Since it’s affiliated with a University I wonder if they just picked him to show they are embracing “a diversity of views” or something typical of an organization like an American university when appointing someone to a meaningless post.
In case you missed it, the state of NC has taken a hard right turn with the GOP now in charge for the first time in 100+ years. So this is not a diversity move, it’s a move to show who runs the show now in NC.
This could be a good thing.
Elmo should stop relying on Chris and Mr. Noodle to help him with his problems. He needs to learn how to find his own final solutions.
Very strange, although I am glad it’s UNC-TV and not the NPR station WUNC.
That’s exactly it. WUNC is pretty much the major provider of public television in North Carolina, and they don’t get to appoint their own board of directors: it’s a political appointment. Card got on, not because of any expertise in public education, but because he’s our state’s most famous lunatic-fringe rightwing artist.
Our state legislature isn’t just doing things like trying to establish a state religion and denying teachers raises for fifth year in a row, they’re also doing things that have little purpose except to give the finger to their political opponents, e.g., passing a law that says that members of the teacher’s assocation (not really a union, given our draconian laws) alone among public associations can’t elect to have dues deducted from paychecks, and now this.
Of course, the other news that came out yesterday about our legislature is that the head of DHHS hired some schmuck from her husband’s firm to help her reorganize; the consultant position earned something like a quarter million dollars for 10 months’ work. So the Orson Scott Card thing is just trashy small potatoes for the regime.
Also, Card has called reports about his insane essays comparing Obama to Hitler “distortions.” So it’s worth reading his actual essay. It’s incredibly vile, like Stormfront-quality vile. This is the guy we think will be a positive influence on public television?
Who appoints people to this board? The leadership of UNC or the leadership of NC? Even in very conservative States the major public universities are very liberal. UT-Austin is about as far from a bastion of red state ideals than you could find anywhere in the country.
From the article in the OP:
“Controversial author Orson Scott Card has been named to the UNC-TV Board of Trustees, appointed by Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger.”
So, apparently the state legislature. Which is currently batshit right-wing.
As stated, this is a gummint appointment. UNC is in Chapel Hill, the town about which Jesse Helms famously said, “We don’t need a North Carolina zoo, just put a fence around Chapel Hill.” Super-liberal town, anchored on UNC.
No, this is an f-you to the university and to the public television community.
Damn. I hadn’t realize the guy had left Utah. Shows how behind the times I am.
I love this line:
Obama is unwilling to compromise? Which of his alternate universes does he inhabit?
I used to like this guy.
I see. So who elected the state legislature?
All the bat-shit crazy bigots and inbreds that inhabit North Carolina outside the university towns, of course.
Art Pope.
In any case, that’s a bizarre insinuation. In your JAQing post, you seem to imply that if a decision is made by democratically-elected representatives, it can’t be mocked for its foolishness. Is that what you’re implying? If not, why the JAQing around? If so, are you shitting me?
NC was the last SE state to go full republican in both the state house/senate and governor’s office.
In fact the GOP has veto proof numbers in the state house and senate so it would not matter if the governor was a Dem.
Some people here (mostly Dems) think that the right already went to far and they will pay in 2014 but I don’t know if that is true. If you look at every other SE state once they go red they stay that way.
I have never read Mr. Card’s fiction, partially because I don’t read SF any more. and shall not, however:
Historical lies have great persistence. There are still people who think that Winston Churchill “failed” at Gallipoli; who believe that Richard III murdered his nephews, though the only person with a motive to kill them was Henry Tudor; who believe that George W. Bush lied about WMDs in Iraq.
I’m doubtful about Richard III > usurping little bastards are rarely averse to making sure; but, I have never yet until now met anyone who considers the Anglo-Australasian effort at Suvla Bay to be in any way a success.
Well, tactically speaking, failure there wasn’t Churchills fault.