OPINION: The Crazy and Stupid Things You Hear on the AM Dial

Usually, when I want to learn something, I stick to FM radio, where NPR is the best national news source.

But in the mornings, when I want to learn about local culture, I'll flip to Rosemary Chalmers, on KSCO-AM's (1080) "Good Morning Monterey Bay" from 6-9 a.m.

Later, when I want to hear what people are talking about in line at McDonalds or after watching too much Fox News, I'll listen to some of the station's other shows. I like Ethan Berman's at noon, because he gets out into the community and is a rare local broadcaster who keeps it local, when most radio is a corporate clone.

But sometimes local can be more grating than great.

Like this morning, on Chalmers's show, there was an astrologer giving his view of the changes ahead, and he talked about how we are going to be affected by Capricorn, which he said was the largest planet in the solar system. 

Now, I've been in this solar system for some time, but haven't yet heard of that planet. Did they discover it overnight and I missed it on my way to work? Or did this astrologer not know the difference between a planet and a constellation? Better watch out for planet Libra...I heard it's off balance.

While the East was in a cold spell, I heard Rush Limbaugh on the station (which should be reason enough never to turn it on -- but how else can you hear what stupid people are "thinking" without turning on FOX?) -- I heard Rush argue that if the freezing temperatures weren't man made then neither was global warming. 

But he and Sarah Palin are brain trusts compared to one of the other talk jockeys named Georgia, who luckily is on only once a week. She spent hours talking about the movie "Lone Survivor" and the great work of Seal Team 6 in it.  She ignored her co-host Sam when he told her it was actually about Seal Team 10, but finally apologized after a caller also corrected her.

Later she gave a news report about how Republicans in Arizona were censoring John McCain. Hmmm. Now, that sounds like something that should have been picked up nationally. What were they doing, keeping him drunk and not letting him speak? 

No, they were censuring him for not being conservative enough.  It wasn't evident this proud Tea Partier knew the difference in the words. She also called him a Republican RINO, apparently not knowing what RINO stands for.

This show is comedy, like those Teabonics placards calling Obama the "lier in chief"  and liberals "morans." It would be more funny if it weren't so sad. This is the same woman who told her audience that slavery wasn't as bad as it was portrayed.

And the kicker, when her co-host said he was sick that day, she started off on her theory that the government is spraying people with chemicals from planes to keep them sick and helpless. Maybe those planes only fly over her house because I've missed them.

Have you?

What's the craziest thing you've heard on local radio?