Christopher W. Kline

Builder + Entrepreneur + Futurist. I read more than I post.

[KJZZ Phoenix @kjzzphoenix]

Macias will join sportscasters Bruce Cooper and Floyd Simmons, and TV news host Terri Ouellette. The fifth member of the class, newspaper executive Kit Atwell, will be inducted into the Arizona Newspapers Hall of Fame. https://t.co/56N8UtxfjZ

[ABC15 Arizona @abc15]

CONGRATS TERRI! 🎉

Our very own Terri Ouellette is being inducted into the Arizona Broadcasters Hall of Fame! Terri O has hosted Sonoran Living on ABC15 since 2012 and made a name for herself in Valley morning news. Congratulations! https://t.co/Hwd6rcKv53

[Christopher W. Kline @cwk181]

Fun Tuesday fact courtesy of @cnbc. Did you know Arizona apparently has the second most reliable power grid behind Alabama? We're also ranked #7 in the country for best infrastructure #ArizonaLove https://t.co/tZm2UG2kPS

[Christopher W. Kline @cwk181]

Local sports and local TV are a match we should replicate with more teams. Sports are one of the few community connectors in this crazy, divisive world ... and putting local sports on FREE local TV is one big way to help.

[Mat Ishbia @Mishbia15]

Almost 3 million households in Arizona will now be able to enjoy @Suns and @PhoenixMercury games for free. No more cost or TV blackouts for our fans! https://t.co/UCj5k2ocZp

[Joshua Claybourn @JoshuaClaybourn]

British Prime Minister Margret Thatcher famously once said, “Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy.” Nearly all European nations trace their beginning to a common ethnic kinship or a cultural characteristic, but America was created by exiles united in voluntary assent to shared political beliefs. That’s why British writer G. K. Chesterton visited the United States for the first time and remarked that America was “a nation with the soul of a church,” not because of its religiosity, but because of a common creed enshrined in “sacred texts” of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

In 1776, a near-miraculous stew of ideas and leaders came together to form a Declaration of Independence, and 11 years later an equally miraculous gathering formed the Constitution, both centered on a belief in universal human dignity.

Government does not grant you the right to free speech, assembly, religion, press, protest, or redress of grievances. We believe that these rights are inalienable and government’s role is simply to protect those rights and ensure human dignity. Government is just a tool, not a source. That’s really a remarkably profound idea we take for granted and fail to celebrate enough.

Of course, the sad irony is that the very Founders who argued these ideas so frequently fell short of those same principles. Some owned slaves, and nearly all opposed equal rights for women. So it naturally caused upheaval when nineteenth century Americans increasingly adopted a view held that “All men are created equal,” including black Americans, and a few generations later it came to encompass women as well.

Abraham Lincoln believed that the Declaration of Independence did not necessarily proclaim people equal in all respects. Instead, it meant that all people were created with certain equal, inalienable rights—they are ours by right of simply being human—among which are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” A free society should always strive to achieve these equal rights, even if, as in the case of the Founders, it fell short of that goal in the past. The Declaration’s concept of equality is an aspiration, Lincoln said, “constantly looked to, constantly labored for, and even, though never perfectly attained, constantly approximated, and thereby constantly spreading and deepening its influence and augmenting the happiness and value of life to all people, of all colors, everywhere.”

That is the genius of Lincoln’s argument: that the Constitution is concrete (at least until amended), but the Declaration of Independence is aspirational, and the American project is a move toward the aspiration.

Despite its roots in American independence, the 4th of July is incomplete without understanding and celebrating Lincoln too. His unique view of the Declaration as an aspirational goal helped properly frame American independence for what it was and what it was bound to be.

[Alec Esteban Thomson @aethomson]

As a #census nerd and lover of all cacti + plants, I’m loving the Saguaro Census effort by @dbgphx! #SaveOurSaguaros @jboehm_NEWS

[Tim DeLaney @tdelaneyaz]

The Arizona sports community lost a giant yesterday. Mark Reda died way too young but left a legacy of impact on others to last many lifetimes. Mark was the TV producer for @Dbacks for many years. He became a professor at ASU’s Cronkite, and was quietly a very important part…

[Christopher W. Kline @cwk181]

@MikePNoble heartbreaking to read this

[Phil Latzman @PhilLatzman]

INBOX:

@Suns & @PhoenixMercury cut the cord on @BallySports and announce over-the-air TV deal:

[Christopher W. Kline @cwk181]

@NickCiletti We will take the result. But man of man, it was too tight for comfort

[Tim Eigo @azatty]

Still time to register for tonight's free @spjphx Zoom event explaining news media and news-consumption trends, delivered by @chris_kline of @AZBroadcasters. @spj_tweets @spj_newengland @spjlv @SPJLA @UtahSPJ @azlatinomedia @AAJAArizona @aaja_asu @AZ_ABJ @SPJregion11

[Phoenix SPJ @spjphx]

Save the date! See @chris_kline of @AZBroadcasters give @spjphx a free Zoom presentation, "The State of AZ Media 2023," Wed eve 3/8. Get stats & insights on where AZ media is heading. Check https://t.co/YWrZvHoOnG soon for required RSVP info

[U of A School of Journalism @uazjschool]

Save the date for Giving Day! This year the @AZBroadcasters will match your gifts up to $5,000. Stay tuned to hear from our students about how your gift is supporting skills in #entrepreneurism, audio, video, digital media and top-notch journalism. #BearDownGiveBack

[broham @brohamthis]

@arizonaslaw Oh my gosh! I remember that but didn’t know it was anti-woke Heath.

[Christopher W. Kline @cwk181]

Movie life meets real life. This feels just like a plot line to match Val Kilmer stealing fusion formulas in The Saint. https://t.co/4tPX3SZXZD

[AZ Broadcasters Association @AZBroadcasters]

Congratulations and thank you to our newly named 2023 @AZBroadcasters Board of Directors from all across Arizona! https://t.co/MjgHVc8p50

[Christopher W. Kline @cwk181]

Moments away from the #AZSenate22 debate. The candidates and moderators are talking about last minute questions and logistics.

[Christopher W. Kline @cwk181]

Less than 3 hours to go until the Arizona US Senate debate. For the first time in state history, the debate will air live on 50 local TV and radio stations all across Arizona. American democracy in action!

[AZ Broadcasters Association @AZBroadcasters]

COMING THURSDAY AT 6PM: In a first-of-its-kind partnership, the Arizona US Senate Debate will be broadcast live across dozens of local TV and radio stations across all corners of Arizona. Check your local listings to find a media partner near you. #Election2022

[NWS Flagstaff @NWSFlagstaff]

SNOW! ❄️ Yes, for those of us in greater Flagstaff, today's spectacle of weather events concluded with this — a glorious view of rainbows and snow-covered peaks. #azwx