News -> INDReporter FRI, SEP 16 11:39AM by The Independent Editors

AOC’s Bowie: Get informed, participate

[Editor’s Note: The following was submitted by Ed Bowie, executive director of Acadiana Open Channel.]

I’d like to take advantage of the current dustup involving political debates that have been cablecast on AOC. For those interested in the real issue, it’s not who showed or didn’t. The real issue is about how our community gets information. It is critically important for a successful society that those citizens who partake in the decisions of the collective, such as activists, politicians, journalists, corporations and voters, have information. The free flow and exchange of information is as important to our democracy as water is to our health. Good information makes for a good democracy, and bad water is bad for your health. Enough with the bad metaphors, AOC is proud to say that nearly any group can produce a political debate. We’ll make every possible accommodation to ensure that it is cablecast, possibly live and with replays.

When a group comes to us, they are usually activists, such as the group involved with the current issue, or semi-neutral people who also care about sharing information, such as the League of Women Voters or Chamber of Commerce. So far this season, the only group to produce a debate did so under the same policy that everyone in the community follows when they produce political programming. They made what some may consider bad choices for their panels, a local candidate took exception to that panelist and did not participate. AOC is sorry the information that candidate could have shared was not available to the community. We consider this a missed opportunity for every voter.

AOC is offering to assist any producer with the production of a debate or series of debates who can meet our political policy and membership requirements. Those policies require that all candidates are given information for receiving equal opportunity from AOC. Any group needing information on holding a cablecast LIVE debate can contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Our political policy is on our website.

AOC can only ensure equal chances and opportunities; we can’t ensure how those are used. Please give it a try. The more conversation we are able to cablecast the better our community will be served.


Walter Pierce
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Comments (20)add
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written by The problem is... , September 16, 2011 - 05:17 pm
Bowie had best pay attention to his own lack of information as well as misinformaton coming out AOC under his watch. "AOC is sorry the information that candidate could have shared was not available to the community. We consider this a missed opportunity for every voter." Yes, a missed opportunity for the voters due to very poor oversight by Ed Bowie. When you let self serving, self promoting, text book example narcissist like Stephen Handwerk attempt to boost himself at the expense of others, and blatantly lie about it to boot, you will experience boycotts. Bowie would come across as much more believable were he to fess up and admit that more than a few mistakes were made on his watch.
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written by Gunga Din , September 16, 2011 - 06:24 pm
What's an AOC?
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written by Duh , September 16, 2011 - 06:30 pm
The problem is....you're not so good at reading. Bowie's remarks are to the point that AOC DOES NOT and cannot have "oversight" of their producers' work. AOC is a pure first amendment provider. AOC provides the forum openly to smart, unbiased folks like yourself (cough) and to narcissists, activists, the LWV, and the Chamber. Each and every one is privileged to be as wrong or as right as their own knowledge and character provide for.

Blaming Bowie or AOC for the first amendment speech they enable is a classic example misunderstanding what they provide. A valid complaint against AOC could be lodged if they were to prevent the free speech of Lafayette citizens based on specious things like narcissism or political party affiliation. Not because they refused to make that mistake.

The bottom line: If YOU think you could do better, do it. That's the way this works. I'll qoute Bowie's final remarks which are right on target:

"AOC can only ensure equal chances and opportunities; we can’t ensure how those are used. Please give it a try. The more conversation we are able to cablecast the better our community will be served."
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written by Comeonman , September 16, 2011 - 07:12 pm
Ed, you're a stand up guy and you always try to do whats right. However, i have to say that Stephen Handwerk and his co-host are extremely poor choices to host the debates.There are 55,852 Democrats in lafayette parish and these two persons were picked to represent the Democratic party. Stephen could not help but interject his sexual preferences into the debate and the co-host record speaks for itself. If we are to change this city, parish , state and country to be accountable for our actions then a good place to start would have been in selecting these co-host.
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written by Ophelia 46 , September 16, 2011 - 08:13 pm
Note to Comeonman: It's their party and they'll host if they want to (host if they want to, host if they want to). You would host too if your party asked, too. So there!
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written by The problem is... , September 16, 2011 - 10:27 pm
Dear Duh aka S. Handwerk, with what you wrote being somewhat on target, based on the fiasco that ensued by your hand, it is obvious that oversight is needed where there is none. Oversight would prohibit people like you from force feeding the public your personal agenda. Your "standing in the community" is null and void. Ergo, you had no standing and you have no standing save for your own personal, conceited perception of one. Whether or not one day you achieve some degree of "standing in the community" will be based on your future actions and behaviors. And, as you are now quite aware, "actions speak louder than words." For you, Duh, "iacta alea est."
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written by Duh , September 17, 2011 - 04:30 pm
The problem is...you've got an ego problem. I'm not Stephen Handwerk. You don't get out of being wrong in your attack on AOC by the device of pretending it is "only" a part of a pissing match between you and Handwerk. Sorry if the truth stings but it really isn't all about you and your personal sniping at someone you clearly don't like. People disagree with you on, you know, principle. The LAST thing we need is some self-appointed "overseer" of our free speech by someone with your sort of personal animus.

To repeat: this is about free speech. An actual American value. If you don't like an instance free speech the cure is not to prevent it by "oversight" but to engage in it yourself.

Whatever might be said about Handwerk (and the Dems and the Progressives that sponsored the forum) this much is indisputably true: they got up off their butts and provided a forum. YOU have not. An EFFECTIVE complaint that respected their right to free speech instead of demanding that someone else quash it for you would be to go to AOC and put on your own forum and see if you can do any better.

That's what Bowie is suggesting those of your ilk do. He's right. You're wrong. You ought to man up and admit it.

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written by The problem is... , September 17, 2011 - 07:22 pm
So I am on target, have touched more than a nerve, and proved correct by the likes of Duh. Again, pour vu, "iacta alea est."
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written by comeonman , September 18, 2011 - 11:37 pm
My party has gotten highjacked by a few misfits who pushes their own candidate instead of being neutral. when you see a member of the local democratic committee coming out of a candidates office with yard signs of that candidate, after just hosting a forum a few days before, then i have to believe that preference was given to that candidate by giving him the questions that were asked. stephen handwerk is a disgrace to the democratic party and the local committe should investigate his actions
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written by andymhebert , September 18, 2011 - 11:55 pm
Article from the Advertiser February 21, 2006:

“During last months orientation, Bowie referenced one former show host, Andy Hebert, who “pushed the envelope” a few years ago… However, Bowie said he thinks the station still is living down Hebert’s comments.”

AOC recognized and awarded Mr. Hebert the following:

A “Bronze Viddy” in 1999
An additional “Bronze Viddy” in 1999
A “Silver Viddy” in 1999

The “Producer of the Year” in 1999

A “Bronze Viddy” in 2000
An additional “Bronze Viddy” in 2000
And another “Bronze Viddy” in 2000
A “Silver Viddy” in 2000
A “Gold Viddy” in 2000

The “Volunteer of the Year” in 2000

“You have received the highest honor a volunteer can receive, acknowledgement and thanks from your peers. Sincerely, Ed Bowie”

Conclusion:

If telling the truth about government is “pushing the envelope”,
and the truth must be “lived down”,
then,
telling lies doesn’t “push the envelope”
and the lies must be “lived up” to.

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written by snaildarter , September 19, 2011 - 10:48 am
It's all controlled: how many times have important votes (consolidation the first time) been held during the summer and not fully disclosed via the media?

There has been little in the media about the upcoming PROPERTY TAX INCREASE. If you rent, your rent will go up. Businesses will pass it on as higher prices. I'm not saying you should vote for or against it, I'm too hip to do that.

Chamber of Commerce in "semi neutral"? Don't insult our intelligence.
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written by Layne St.Julien , September 19, 2011 - 05:33 pm
I wouldn't refer to the upcoming vote to fund the master facilities plan for our schools simply as a "property tax increase."

Yes, if it passes property taxes will be higher. It'll cost the average family that owns a house about as much as a family meal out at Burger King each month.

What they'll get in return is 7 of the most dilapidated and crowded schools rebuilt, additions to several others that are relying on "temporary" classrooms, and the most dire maintenance needs at other schools addressed. Not a bad trade-off.

You can see photos of some of the problems at www.InvestInOurChildrensFuture.org
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written by Duh , September 19, 2011 - 05:35 pm
The problem is...you're still not willing to actually deal with the realities. AOC cannot and should not be "overseeing" the free speech of its users regardless of your desires. I bet you understand this now. But aren't about to admit it. So off we go into more Latinate obscuration.

You don't like the show? Do a better job yourself.
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written by holeinthedonut8 , September 19, 2011 - 08:25 pm
This Bowie guy should never have allowed those political hacks from the far left of the democrat party to use a publicly funded resource to do that kind of program. His job is to protect our taxpayer property from mis-use. He has to go.
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written by The problem is... , September 19, 2011 - 10:14 pm
Duh, holeinthedonut8 said it all and said it right.
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written by Gaius Cilnius Maecenas , September 20, 2011 - 09:03 pm
To This Group:

I know Latin, "The die [single of "dice"] is cast"! Spoken by Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon. Judgmental comments, character assassination, and ad hominems are so yesteryear! These tactics cheapen our democratic discourse.

I actually watched all the segments produced by Robert Wilson & his fellow staff members last week. I did not see any inappropriate behavior. In fact, it was urbane, polite, and informative! It requires no effort to engage in vulgar rant here. It does require work to pull off such a venue! AOC under Ed Bowie's leadership makes it "real"! God sakes, What more do the Fools here want? A police state with filtered & controlled information-propaganda!
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written by And so now... , September 21, 2011 - 02:43 pm
We are deemed worthy of a trite comment by the psuedo intellectual king of the blog: some dude who fancies himself so smart, he takes a Latin nom do plume. Paterculus described Gaius Cilnius Maecenas thusly: "of sleepless vigilance in critical emergencies, far-seeing and knowing how to act, but in his relaxation from business more luxurious and effeminate than a woman." A almost accurate description but for the vigilance, far-seeing, and knowing how to act part.
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written by Gaius Cilnius Maecenas , September 21, 2011 - 06:02 pm
To And so now...

I see someone has been reading their Wikipedia! You might try to learn something about an author before you quote him. Velleius Paterculus [20/19 BCE-31 CE] was a summary historian. As the British Victorian Macaulay said of his work, "I hardly know any historical work of which the scale is so small, and the subject so extensive." Most classical scholars of the 20th Century, such as Sir Ronald Syme, have dismissed with contempt his work as a whole. However, he is becoming more fashionable again with our younger contemporary scholars. [See Volume 19 & 25, in the Cambridge Orange series, Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries (Cambridge University Press)].

In addition, your comic snideness of my paltry efforts here, does permit me to draw attention to the Suetonian Latin quote that you were the first to assert.

The famous Imperial biographer, Gaius Seutonius Tranquillus [ca. 70-ca. 130], has Caesar uttering this quote when he is crossing the Rubicon in 49 BCE to begin Rome's bloody 20 year period of Civil War and military tyranny [De vita Caesarum, "Divus Julius", xxxii (On the Life of the Caesars, the God Julius)].

For the young in our land, who are just beginning to learn their elementary Latin, 'Jacta alea est' admits of this simple grammatical analysis: The 1st declension feminine noun, nominative case singular "alea" [alea, -ae] means "die, dice-playing, gambling, chance, venture, risk"; the 1st conjugation verb 'jacto' means "throw, hurl", its particular grammatical form [Jacta est] here is Passive voice, Indicative mood, Perfect tense, 3rd person, singular [The letter "J" is Church Latin, the letter "I" is correct classical form]. I use the "J" since that is how many authors, who make use of this quote spell "iacta" as "jacta"]. The verb "est" is used to form the passive, it means here, "It is". Hence, "The die is cast"!

Since the Tea Party movement makes use of this battle cry of Caesar, I wanted to make sure our readership understood its context & significance.

From reading your comments above, I think you have more in common with spiders than bees: the former, gives us "dirt & poison"; the latter, "light [candles from their wax] & honey"!
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written by Duh , September 21, 2011 - 07:16 pm
The fundamental division in any Republic is between those who would use the powers vested in the state to narrow the range of freedom in order to enhance their own comfort and those who would use their efforts to enlarge the realm of free discourse and action.

The dems and progressives used their own efforts to create an effective forum for displaying the free speech of both those they agreed with and those with whom they did not agree.

"holeinthedonut8" and "The problem is..." have called on AOC to suppress that effort in order that they and their political prejudices can be comforted.

Few cases of actual public policy are so unequivocally about freedom as is the question of whether or not Bowie and AOC should have "protected" the public from the free speech of members of the public because it doesn't fit the political inclinations of some other part of the audience.

AOC is on the side of angels (or at least those who believe in actual republics) in this one. Neither Bowie nor the organization has ANY role in shutting people up. Certainly not for faux conservatives like these who merely want to make sure that their prejudices go unquestioned.


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written by Gaius Cilnius Maecenas , September 21, 2011 - 08:34 pm
Duh:

Extremely well stated! I would only add that under our Republic's Constitution 'Secret Societies' & 'Conspiracies' are permitted. Under the Roman Republic and Imperial Dynasts, they were not. It was a crime, punishable by death, to belong to a secret society, or, be part of a conspiracy. The Tea Party financial backers, and the dolts they deceive to do their bidding, would have been executed by the Consuls [Two elected for each term] of Rome, or the Roman Senate!
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