The Larry Kane Report

The FBI is investigating. The parents have filed a lawsuit. The nation is watching. And so far Lower Merion school officials are not exactly forthcoming about the alleged monitoring of a student at his home through the camera in his laptop computer.

So far, the schools Superintendent and spokespersons for the district have been very “official” in their responses. No one has directly denied the charges. People are defending the assistant principal who was apparently involved.

Message to Lower Merion school leaders: Let the truth be known quickly. Was the student monitored at home without his knowledge through his laptop computer given to him my the district? What was the inappropriate behavior the district was seeking, if any? Were the students rights violated? If there was illegal spying, was it just a single case, or was there more? Are other cameras now involved? Why is the Superintendent not conducting his own review and quickly? If the charge is not true, why is Lower Merion not completely refuting it?

These are questions whose answers are owed immediately to the students, parents and teachers of Lower Merion.

Lower Merion is a beautiful community. it’s school system is highly regarded. But this case has cast a shadow over the schools.

My advice: Tell the whole story before it gets out of control.

And….

If any teacher, adminstrator or principal ordered the intential web-camera surveillance of any student in their homes, they should be dismissed.

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From the beginning of this story, Tiger Woods has either been badly advised, or has not taken the advice. And so it was on his first public appearance.

The golfer’s 13 minute apology and statement was decent and thorough, but hardly as geniune as it could be. Why? Not because of the words. They were well-written and covered almost every aspect of his many regrets. But they were written. They were written, and he read them. That, in my view, was a mistake.

Tiger Woods should have allowed a free-for-all of questions after his statement was finished. It’s much easier to be more of yourself, more genuine, when you answer a question, than reading from a piece of paper. Besides, why duck the media when you’ve already addressed most of the issues?

Spontaneity allows individuals to be themselves. Reading from a prepared script is okay. But answering questions: that’s the REAL thing to do.

DOES ANY ONE CARE ABOUT THIS STORY?

This story is two-days old. But the silence from world governments is scary.

The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog agency says Iran may be working secretly to develop a nuclear warhead for a missile.

There is no official response from the free world.

Are we asleep?

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Fourteen hours after I played the tape for them, White House press officials called me this morning with reaction to the following story. The reaction: “The White House strongly denies the Sestak claim.” Here’s the original report.

It was just something I’d been hearing about from a variety of sources. Was it true? I didn’t know , but I decided to pop the question. Here’s the transcript:

“Larry Kane: I have a question for you. I don’t know how accurate this is but a lot of reports are that the party has tried very hard to get you out of this race.

Joe Sestak: Haha, yes.

LK: Were you ever offered a federal job to get out of this race?

JS: Yes.

LK: Was it the Navy Secretary?

JS: No comment. I – let me –

LK: Was it high-ranking?

JS: Let me just say that both here in Pennsylvania and down there, I was called quite a few times and all I’ve said is, look, I felt when a deal was made that it was hurting the democratic process, I got into this because I think that deal started getting us off the track of where the Democratic party should go. I would never get out for a deal. I’m in this for the Democratic principles and working families.

LK: Okay, but, was there a job offered to you by the White House?

JS: Ye-

LK: That’s what I want –

JS: Yes. Someone offered — yeah.

LK: It was big, right?

JS: It was — never — let me not comment on it. We had a closed comm–
LK: Yeah, but you’re going all the way.

JS: I’m in this all the way for the working family. Look, I love the Navy. It’s the best thing I ever did in my life except get married. It took me 8 years, I proposed to my wife, 8 years later she said yes. And have my beautiful daughter. But this is the next best job — to pay back this nation for having had those wonderful years in the Navy–

LK: Well, we’ve run out of time with the best question I had.”

Was I surprised?  A little. After all, I was just probing.

Two hours later, I called the White House press office. I played the tape, and asked for a reaction. That reaction came this morning, 14 hours later.

Sestak is behind Specter in the polling. But it could be a tight race at the end. The White House is backing Specter, who switched parties last year. Sestak is well financed.

THE ATTACK IN AUSTIN

Some broadcast analysts seemed relieved that the airplane attack in Austin , Texas, by an obviously deranged and angry taxpayer, was not a terrorist attack. But it was. Any time a human being intentionally attacks an office building, or innocent civilians, it is an act of terror.

Terror comes in many forms. The situation in Austin was frightening. Was it an attack on America? Any act of raging violence designed to kill and maim, for whatever reason, is sheer terror, whatever the motives.

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It was just something I’d been hearing about from a variety of sources. Was it true? I didn’t know , but I decided to pop the question.

During the taping of my Comcast Network Voice of Reason show, which airs Sunday night at 9:30, the following dialogue took place:

“Larry Kane: I have a question for you. I don’t know how accurate this is but a lot of reports are that the party has tried very hard to get you out of this race.

LK: Well, we’ve run out of time with the best question I had.”

Was I surprised?  A little. After all, I was just probing.

Two hours later, I called the White House press office. I played the tape, and asked for a reaction. They called back 15 hours later with a denial.

Sestak is behind Specter in the polling. But it could be a tight race at the end. The White House is backing Specter, who switched parties last year. Sestak is well financed.

If the White House tried to get him out, it is an indication of concern that the primary contest could endanger the party’s chances in the fall, or that Sestak could pose a political risk to Arlen Specter.

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And to think that Indiana Senator Evan Bayh had presidential aspirations. Bayh is the latest of the not-s0-courageous Senators who have cut and run because the Congress is too hot, too divisive for them.

I don’t buy the national media’s anthem of sadness about all the great politicians who are leaving office because it’s hard to get things done. Bayh is the latest of the quitters.

Too me, being elected a Senator is a great honor, and short of health and family problems, there is no viable reason a Senator or Congressman should walk away from service. True Americanism requires the will and determination to fight the odds, battle the polarization, and fight on to get things done. Evan Bayh instead decides he doesn’t like Congress. He has every right to walk away, but this country was built on the backs of men and women who were willing to stay and fight for what’s right.

This is no time for quitting.

TALIBAN TROUBLES-

After years of covert operations that seemed like they were going through the motions, the Pakistani government has finally teamed with the U.S. to try to break the backs of the Taliban. Their number two, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar’s , has been captured alive. The Mullah was one of the great architects of the Taliban’s murderous rampage through Afghanistan. Hopefully he’ll talk. Even if he does, he should face trial and hopefully face execution for murder. In recent years, the Taliban has been portrayed as hopeless revolutionaries. But please remember that they destroyed and permitted a training ground for Bin Laden’s false prophets to commit mass murder.

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