Fair & Balanced Radio

[Smut/Meth News] A KSL radio news broadcaster, announcing that Blue Boutique will open any day now, referred to its windows as featuring "Santa's helpers dressed rather provactively," as an example of the kind of lewd smut the Boutique's neighbors will have to endure, turn away from etc. Whatever the merits of the arguments on either side of the pro and con fence, let's inject a little reality into our coverage. Rather provocative? What the hell does that mean? Is this a sly dig at plunging cleavage, long legs, or thrusting bosoms on the mannequins? If we're talking T&A, then let's do it. Where's the glorious Lenny Bruce when you need him?

I also caught the radio ad campaign designed to get folks off meth this morning on KSL Newsradio. "My mom's on meth" some sweet young girl intones, then her mother talks about the hell of her life and we cut back and forth between addict and abandoned child. Mother disappears for a year, mother returns presumably after rehab, court dates, urine analyses, then we finish with a twee piano twinkle. For anyone who has sat through a few days of, for example, Judge Andrew Valdez's juvenile court, the agonisingly harsh reality of meth addiction and what it does to families is almost too painful to bear. This ad campaign with its Christmasy-like sickliness will have as much effect on getting meth-head moms to straighten out as "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" will impact on traffic accident deaths. (Stephen Dark)

Do Not Go Gently

[Attitude] Yay! After a bit of a hiatus, the SLPD has added City Weekly as a regular e-mail recipient again of its crime log. Just like a member of the grown-up media!

The just-released weekend log from Salt Lake's Finest includes predictable mayhem outside a couple of bars, a vehicular hit and run, and a home invasion by who else--a raging meth-head. I like the following report best of all:

1615 Robbery (that's 4:15 p.m. Sunday)
876 W. 800 S. (Pueblitos Joyeria)
Case number: 07-191583
"The victim was working at this store when the suspect, a male white adult in his 20s, 5’ tall and very thin, entered the store. The suspect sprayed the victim with lighter fluid, pulled out a lighter and threatened to light the victim on fire if he didn’t give him the jewelry. The victim picked up a large chair and threatened to beat the suspect. The suspect ran from the store and got into a blue Dodge van and fled the scene."

Let's hear it for the desk clerk who wouldn't let a little threat of massive third-degree burns take him down ... (Holly Mullen)