Wee Willie Webber RIP

Photo courtesy Jerry Klein/Broadcast Pioneers

Sunday, May 23, 2010
"Wee Willie" Webber has passed away

Bill Webber (via WHAT) Bill "Wee Willie" Webber, who at 6-foot-5 was one of the giants of broadcasting in the Philly area, died this morning of an apparent heart attack at age 80.

He had heart trouble of late, according to Gerry Wilkinson of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia.

Philadelphians of a certain age grew up with the mellifluous Mr. Webber, whose rich career included Channel 6 (the morning kiddie show called Breakfast Time) and its "Famous 56" AM radio station before joining WIP as a middle-of-the-road DJ.

His was the voice that introduced American Bandstand in its Philadelphia incarnation. While at Channel 3 and at KYW, he spun the last record on KYW before it went all-news. Mr. Webber was let go from KYW TV to make way for Mike Douglas.

A Broadcast Pioneers bio notes that in 1965, just after his layoff, he became the first face on Channel 17. For 10 years, he hosted the "Wee Willie Webber Colorful Cartoon Club," and then moved to Channel 48.

From 1989 to 2005, he was on WPEN before its flip to sports talk. He'd been doing a late-morning show, Second Cup of Coffee, on WHAT (1340 AM).

Mr. Webber was chairman of the Broadcast Pioneers board. He is survived by his wife, Constance, and children Bill Jr. and Wendy.

BT comment: I regret that I am a week late in paying tribute to one of my childhood icons. Wee Willie Webber passed away last week at the ripe old age of 80. Hard to believe he was just a bit younger than I am now when I was watching him on television.

I can remember when we got the UHF converter box(the what?! man do I feel old) that sat atop our one dial, black and white TV. That little electronic wonder opened up a whole new world to me. The world of week day, afternoon cartoons. The local ringmaster of this new sensation was Wee Willie. On his show I was introduced to "Tobor the Eighth Man"(Tobor is robot spelled backwards as you guys already know), "Astro Boy" and then finally "Speed Racer". The trifecta of Japanese animation in the sixties. Then of course there was Wee Willie's Peanut Gallery where local kids could actually appear on his show. Looking back I remember one time when I did see someone that I knew in the Peanut Gallery. Then there was the time when I actually saw Wee Willie in person at a local synagogue with all of my childhood friends on my block where I grew up. As he entered the hall where we were all sitting I could see that Bill Webber was anything but "Wee". He stood 6'5" and had to duck under the doorway as he made his entrance. Now that would seem tall to me even now. But as a little kid, he was a giant. But not scary and ever the affable cartoon show host. There were contests(a group of kids were assembled to consume 10 Saltine crackers and the first one to whistle won)and prizes(not sure, but maybe some type of candy bar). Seeing him is one of my most vivid memories of my early youth.

Of course to adults he was better known as Bill Webber on the local AM radio station, 610WIP. Hearing him on the radio seemed incongruent to my own fondness for him and his kids TV show. Even now I cannot refer to him as Bill Webber. He was and always will be Wee Willie(I don't even have to finish with the last name Webber).

I guess every big city has or had it's icons on local TV. Maybe not so much now with the advent of cable television(goodbye UHF converter box). So with you, my peers, who came of age in the sixties and seventies in Philadelphia, I bid farwell to the man who seemed to understand us as kids. Who at 6'5" seemed a kid himself, and in entertaining us daily, gave us memories for a lifetime.

Happy Memorial Day and Let's Go Flyers

Memorial Day

To alot of people this is just a three day holiday weekend. The demarcation of summer's commencement. The time when it now is acceptable to again wear white. But for those who comprehend the cost of freedom and the ongoing struggle to defend and protect this gift from God, Memorial Day is a solemn reminder.

Jesus said that greater love have no man that he lay down his life for his friends. Of course he laid his life down for the whole world, including his enemies. In no wise do I compare the sacrifice of the Son of God to that of fallen soldiers. Atleast not in the eternal sense. Still, over the years men and women have laid down their lives for America and it's people. To defend the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Sacrificing even for those who would distort these rights and use the very freedom they were born into to destroy America from within. Unlike most of our current stock of elected officials, it is our military who I trust to uphold and defend our Constitution from all enemies both foreign and domestic.

I did not enter the military service and was not compelled to as there was no draft at the time. Of course in my youth I was much less patriotic and had far less understanding or appreciation for my country. That it something that has come more with age, my conversion to Christ, and becoming educated as to America's special place in history and the world. I try not to deal in "what if's", but I like to think that if I knew then what I know now, that I would serve. Being 50+ I see why serving in the military is for those in their youth. With failing eyes and aching joints and all of the other conditions that befall a middle aged man, I appreciate that there are those amongst us who choose to use their talents, strength, and vitlality to serve us. To protect us. And to possibly lose their life in the process. These, my fellow citizens, are heroes in every sense of the word.

So as we get together with family and friends to drink a beer, eat a burger or just lay back and relax to enjoy a federally paid holiday, please take a moment to reflect and give thanks first to God that you were born an American. And then to remember those who serve and have served to keep America free. Finally, bless the memory of the fallen and live worthy of their sacrifice.


The willingness of America's veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude.
Jeff Miller, Author

Wake up!

Dear friends,
I would beseech you to listen to or watch Glenn Beck on the radio or Fox News Channel. He is not a fear monger or liar. He is reporting on the things that the mainstream media willfully chooses to ignore. Our money, our freedom, our future is being confiscated by the Obama regime, mostly under the radar without our even knowing how.
I am not a mind numbed robot,but a seeker of what is true and right. I love God and my country and the nation of Israel. It just so happens that this president, Barack Hussein Obama, hates Jehovah God, hates America as it was founded, and hates the apple of God's eye, Israel. BO is fundamentally transforming this country into something that we who love this country we were raised in do not or will not recognize. If he has his way, the UN will soon be dictating what you can and cannot do.
Resist anything that eludes to one world or global governance. We are individuals, we are free peoples, we are Americans. Let the rest of the world follow after a collective system if they like. But as for us, we are a unique and set apart nation.
God bless America. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Disclaimer: It may take you sometime to really get into hearing what is being submitted for your perusal on the Glenn Beck Show. It may be confusing, boring or infuriating. In the end, I have found it entertaining and informative. Your country is being taken from you and you won't know it until it is gone. It's kind of like "The Matrix". We are living in what we think or want reality to be. But, there are things going on in this country and the world at large, that defy and contradict the reality that we love and want. It is what Barack Obama proposed as "fundamentally transforming" this country. What you know, what you love, what you find as normal and comfortable is going away. Forever? I don't know. For now? Definitely. So I say to you... WAKE UP! Get informed. Find truth. Love that truth. And be courageous. If you choose not to be a part of this one world system you will need to hold fast to what you believe. The times ahead are not for the faint of heart.

Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
Pslams 33:20-22

Rock it

Went out and voted tonight. Not a big turnout by all indications, but still, it's something you can't take for granted. It's the next step towards the November elections of 2010. I regret the few times that I have not voted although it was long ago. It is what the Founding Fathers fought for and partly what our military fights for today. The right for us to elect a representative government. Of the people, by the people and for the people.
They say if you don't vote then don't complain about the government. Well, I'm sure there are plenty of people who don't vote that gripe about the government. Then again, some people just like to complain. At least on election day my complaints, my concerns, my voice, is given it's due. Admittedly, I am less informed about local politics mostly because I don't own a house or have any children. National politics is where it's at for me. But, as the saying goes "All politics is local". I never really understood that until recently. I now see how people's political ideology affects local government and how it is the micro to the macro of national politics. After all, liberal and conservative candidates nationally are both elected by millions of... us.
So as I left the polls tonight I felt grateful to God that I live in a country where you can vote somewhat peacefully(no, there where no Black Panthers there,still not as bad as the Taliban). Not full of myself that I was a good citizen for voting(maybe a little) but a sense of satisfaction and of duty fulfilled. I am reminded(especially in the last general election)by Rush Limbaugh that "elections have consequences". November 2010 will be an election of great consequence. May those who love liberty be well represented as they cast a vote for Freedom.

A little under the weather today...

Had numerous "home turf" moments today. Somebody must have slipped me a butt load of Turbolax. Feeling a bit better now and hoping tomorrow's not a replay.

John 3:16

Freedom's declaration, freedom's cost

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The Declaration of Independence
The Founding Fathers

INAFP-I need a freakin' president

Buffalo billboard petitions president for "a freakin' job"

1 hr 33 mins ago
"I need a freakin' job." That's the message President Obama saw as he arrived in Buffalo, N.Y., this afternoon for an event talking up the administration's success in creating new jobs. He also pitched Congress on approving a $30 billion credit for small-business growth.

Yet critics say Obama has been focusing his recovery efforts too narrowly and hasn't done enough to help people find work. After all, the latest job figures show 9.9 percent of the country still out of work. That inspired a group of unemployed Buffalo residents — who also have a website called INAFJ.org — to appeal to the president in the form of a billboard along the route his motorcade took into town. Here is a photo of the billboard:




BT comment: Yes, in the short term jobs are needed. But that is not the root of the problem. What is really needed is unfettered freedom. In order to secure that, we need a president and a congress that will protect such freedom and who will defend and uphold the Constitution of these United States. Until we have that, we will lack the fertile ground in which capitalism and free enterprise can flourish. The regime that is in power now is doing all that it can to stifle economic growth and bit by bit abscond our liberty. Those who have jobs and those who don't both need the same thing now and always... Freedom! And also a president who will preserve and protect it.

"Don't ask, don't tell" (How else will I know?)

Mom, he's lookin' at me!

There are three vital things under attack by the Obama administration. Three rights and expectations as U.S. citizens that may soon be very limited or could possibly disappear completely.
The freedom of speech, the reasonable expectation of privacy, and the very citizenship each of us has been born into are all threatened by this oppressive regime. Obama feels that there is "too much information" out there and that it burdens us and our democracy. He knows that knowledge is power and doesn't want us to bother our little heads about all of the truth out there. At least not when it is something that he doesn't agree with. Also, there is now a push by the Dept. of Justice under BO to track people via their cell phone and read emails on the grounds that we are not entitled to any degree of privacy. And lastly, in the light of the Times Square failed bombing attempt, there is a current school of thought that the very citizenship of a U.S. citizen may be revoked. That United States citizens would not be mirandized, meanwhile terror suspects who are not U.S. citizens would be read their rights just like a common street criminal.
Oh, and I forgot, the Obama administration wants to make the internet a public utility thereby granting them full control of the web.
Big Brother is not just watching, he is moving to restrict freedom. Yours and mine. The right to disagree. To peacefully and privately assemble. To be an American. Watching is a passive practice. Since BB is no longer sitting idly by, neither should we.


When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

In a world gone mad some day there will be...

Everything but the Oink!

Sources have leaked highly classified information that the Pentagon is working on a new "dirty bomb" in the event of a military confrontation with Iran. All that is known at this time is that it is made of Scrapple. Knowing the Muslim aversion to pork and pork by products, military experts believe that the mere threat of possessing such a weapon may be enough to quell tensions in the gulf. Knowing that the bomb is made of Scrapple is still not specific enough as far as the actual contents that make up the bomb. But then again, the ingredients in Scrapple have always been somewhat of a mystery.
At this writing there is also word of a possibly more lethal "dirty bomb" in development. Early reports state that it is to be constructed mainly of Spam leftover from World War II.

CIA approves new method of torture in war on terror

After viewing this video for only a few minutes, most prisoners pledged to divulge any and all information regarding terror operations in exchange for waterboarding.

Happy Mother's Day

Closed for now...

Don't Tase me Yo!

The story goes that this kid called his father to ask him if he should proceed to run out on the field claiming it was a once in a lifetime chance. To his credit, the father said that it probably wasn't a good idea. The father also said that he didn't think that his son should have been tasered. The nut doesn't fall far from the tree here. Turns out the kid is fine and the father must be very proud of his little pinhead. On the local news the mother said in the aftermath that she was "stunned". Very punny.

Have you made enough or have you had enough?

I believe it was the wealthy American industrialist, John Paul Getty who when asked how much money is enough he answered, "A little bit more". Indicating the sky is the limit. Enough is never enough. Ah, greed. Which if I remember is not against the law nor is it unconstitutional. It is one of the "seven deadly sins" which ultimately God will judge. Even so, laboring and reaping wealth is not unlawful. For now.

But here we have the man who would be god telling us that enough is enough. He, yes he thinks at some point you have made enough. What gall. Who the hell is he to tell anyone what is enough or that less is even better. Meanwhile, those that this president associates with make in the millons or even billions. And most by quite questionable means. Even he himself is a millionaire. With statements like this how can anyone doubt that Obama is a Socialist? Sadly that term seems to be losing it significance. For those old enough try to remember the old Eastern Bloc, U.S.S.R or present day Communist China.

Tyrants and elitists like to tell everyone one else how to live and in the case of the tyrant those instructions are backed up by the barrel of a gun. All the while living quite highly off the backs of those who labor to make a better life for themselves and their families. So I guess I would have to side with JP Getty over the Socialist Obama. Because even God gives us the freedom to choose, whether it be for good or for evil. But, to oppress and deny man a decision at all is only evil. You see God loves us enough to let us fail as well as succeed. Love offers a choice and God is love. Tyranny only dictates. First by decree, in the end by force.

If you show me yours, I'll show you mine

US says it has 5,113 nuclear warheads

By ANNE GEARAN, AP National Security Writer Anne Gearan, Ap National Security Writer – Mon May 3, 5:34 pm ET
WASHINGTON – The United States has 5,113 nuclear warheads in its stockpile and "several thousand" more retired warheads awaiting the junkpile, the Pentagon said Monday in an unprecedented accounting of a secretive arsenal born in the Cold War and now shrinking rapidly.

The Obama administration disclosed the size of its atomic stockpile going back to 1962 as part of a campaign to get other nuclear nations to be more forthcoming, and to improve its bargaining position against the prospect of a nuclear Iran.

"We think it is in our national security interest to be as transparent as we can be about the nuclear program of the United States," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters at the United Nations, where she addressed a conference on containing the spread of atomic weapons.

The U.S. has previously regarded such details as top secret.


BT comment: Of all the things Obama chooses to be up front or "transparent" about, it's how many nuclear weapons America has on hand. Wouldn't it be nice if BO could tell his own country the truth? About anything?! The health plan bill, tax hikes, the stimulus bill, etc... In the words of Dr. Evil "Throw me a frickin' bone here".

It is obvious that Obama is extending his Social Justice initiative even further so that it also includes any military advantage the U.S. might have held. But that's what he does. That's all he does. He has already sold us out economically with unprecedented spending. Our sovereignty is hanging in the balance with the pending Cap and Trade bill. He believes that America is not a christian(judeo-christian) nation. And most recently he is slamming the door of friendship on our closest Mid-East ally, Israel.

A strong America makes for a more peaceful world. Not perfect. But with the ideals and principles this nation was founded on, an arguably more ordered and safe place to live. Our economic strength was an incentive for other countries to seek productive prosperity. Our sovereignty gave vision to other nations that they might have a distinct and unique place in the world. Our faith lent inspiration that there is more than just prosperity and showed what true compassion looks like. Finally, our military might was a deterrent to those who would seek tyranny and destruction. Our greatness is being sold, spent and forfeited by a man and a party who have nothing but disdain for the United States and the freedom her people enjoy. The balance of power is shifting and I can only pray that it is not too late to regain our former glory. I would entreat you to do the same. Pray.

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land"
II Chronicles 7:14

Free at last, free at last...

Congrats to my good friend Mr. V. who has entered his own period of financial emancipation. At long last he is finally done with years of more than generous child support payments.

While I have seen my share of dead beat dad's and the solitary women who are made to struggle to provide for the innocent progeny, I assure you that my friend went above and beyond to provide for his children, and did so gladly. It is a shame that in a not so perfect world people separate and/or divorce. I myself am divorced, but thankfully had no children who would've been made to suffer any collateral damage. I thank God that my own parents will celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary this year. But in a less than ideal situation Mr. V. did all that he could to give his children what they would need to become productive, happy adults.

So while the monthly payments have come to a timely end, I salute Mr. V. for the father that he is and the friend that he always has been. And that even though he is no longer obligated to pony up a sizable court ordered sum of cash support, I know that he will continue to fulfill the priceless, irreplaceable role of loving father.

Anti-Israel, Anti-America, Pro-Islamofascist

From Audacity of Hope:�'I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.'�