I have been doing a lot of thinking a lot, well maybe a little too much, about the loss of civility in our society.

Michael Richards, former Seinfeld funny character, spewing hatred toward “N word” people. Richards, no fool, announced that he was rehab bound.

Conversely: an actual “N word” man, Isaiah Washington, chose the Golden Globe Awards as his forum, for publicly outing T.R. Knight, a fellow cast member of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

In response to the public outrage, Washington announced that he was so mortified by his outburst that he was entering rehab.

Mel Gibson expressed his hatred of Jews, especially perilous to him professionally as he spouted off in Hollywood.. He had two choices:

Door # 1. Being spurned by people who control a lot of the Hollywood power, many of

whom just happen to be of the Jewish persuasion or…

Door #2..Rehab.

Easy choice.

Is Osama bin Laden sincere? If they ever catch him, would he announce, “I don’t know what got into me, I’m going into rehab.”

But, I make light of a serious matter. There are far more tragic examples of the damage done by cruel people. How about Simon Cowell, the Producer of “American Idol?”

Fact is: Simon (Cruel) Cowell, I believe, front-loads a bunch of losers to be scourged at the pillar of national Television, never intending for them to win..

“American Idol “the Abu Graib of television.

How about radio? Not to be trite, but the principle reason for all of the hatred and cruelty you hear on the radio is that radio, in general has lost its creative force. That loss alone results in resorting to cruelty as a substitute for cleverness such as we witnessed at WKND in Sacramento when the morning show people fatally subjected Jennifer Lee Strange to a spin off of water boarding.

Creativity is like that other vital element in our lives. Use it or lose it. The major operators believed that all they had to do was to dominate the major markets with an overwhelming force of radio stations, Therefore, no need for the nonsense of creativity. For a while, they could dictate Sales by bullying the competition, but over the past decade, creativity faded, listenership dipped, and Sales slackened for radio in general. Loss of creativity stopped growth, creating the crenau now occupied by Ipods.

It isn’t just true about radio, but everything that requires nurturing in order to grow. . Islam, one of the world’s great religions stopped growing spiritually. 90% of the world’s Muslims may hate what is being done to their religion in the name of Islam, but you will most likely, never see a Million Muslim March.

Having spent time in Iraq and Iran, I know that the average person there wakes up each day not concerned with religion but, wondering if he is going to find something to eat. The Mullahs gain their allegiance by feeding them with food fortified with the “new and improved Islamist religion,” also shelter…and guns. They claim to be the shepherds of these young people, but their aim is to never educate the sheep.

The irony is: It probably isn’t about religion with most of the young “Thugs” I suspect that the majority of young Islamist men, gorged with testosterone, think it is great fun to take their AK 47s to the streets, and kill people.

Back to the show…………..

When doing a show, I think about things such as: Have you noticed? Now that many of us have phone video you seldom hear about UFO sightings any more.

I like health tips. “Whenever you feel blue, try breathing again.”

Healthy is merely the slowest rate at which one can die.

I gave up health tips after realizing that health nuts are going to feel stupid, lying in hospitals, dying of nothing.

I gave gardening tips. When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

I filled my shows with thought provokers. “Who was the first person to say,” See that chicken over there? I’m gonna eat the next thing that comes out of its butt.”

The chicken joke reminds of what has been pecking at me since Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to the U.S. Congress, insisted on using a Koran for his Oath of Allegiance to the United States.

In defense of his demand, Mr. Ellison pointed out that no one less than Thomas Jefferson owned a Koran, and therefore, it would be proper for him to be sworn in on the same Koran once owned by Thomas Jefferson, because a visionary like Jefferson believed that “wisdom could be gleaned from many sources.”

Based on this revelation, the media buckled. Public outcry was stifled. The ceremony was performed with history’s first use of the Koran for an Oath of Allegiance. Was the Congressman correct in his rationale for the use of Jefferson’s Koran?.

Why did Jefferson own a Koran?

The answer next week.

While writing this, I received three phone calls. One was from the San Diego Press Club a prestigious organization whose members number major local and regional pundits and thinkers. They want to honor me this year for…whatever.

Another call came from a man, nationally renowned in our business, congratulating me on my coming candidacy for the Texas Radio Hall of Fame induction..

The last call came from a perky young radio station Promotion lady, probably in her latter teens or early 20’s, who perkily told me that my name had been entered by her station as a strong contender for a free trip to Hawaii. I told her that I had had a very popular morning radio show years ago, and did not think it was proper for me to accept a prize because a lot of people in town know me and it might cast doubt on the honesty of her station’s contest.

She was unbowed. “When were you in radio? , she asked.

“My main local period ended in the early 70’s,” I said.

“Oh! That’s okay. No problem.” She assured me . “No one would remember you.”

I enter rehab next week.