There seem to be some problems with the calendar and archive links on this page. Links to some months and days are missing. The entries themselves seem to be present. I’m investigating, and hope to have links working again soon.

Update: Fixed it. One post got filed out of order, confusing the programs that generate the links.

Well, whatta ya know? The Sinclair Broadcast Group will not block tonight’s episode of Nightline, honoring American soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. When Nightline aired a similar program last year, Sinclair banned it from their stations, including the ABC network affiliate here in Columbus, Ohio.

This year, Sinclair “applauds” reading the names on Memorial Day, “a day set aside to honor our fallen heroes.”

“Unlike Nightline’s reading of the names last year, which coincided with the start of the May ratings sweeps, we feel that this year’s Memorial Day selection is the appropriate setting to remember those who have sacrificed their lives to keep all Americans safe and free,” the Sinclair statement said.

As every American knows, each year on Memorial Day, we honor those who’ve given their lives for our country. The rest of the year, we just shut the hell up about them.

Sinclair also refused to air Saving Private Ryan last year on November 11, Veterans’ Day.

When they banned the Nightline tribute last year, Sinclair didn’t say anything about the ratings sweeps period. Rather, they said Nightline’s tribute “appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq.”

The former Washington bureau chief for Sinclair, Jon Leiberman, was fired after publicly criticizing Sinclair’s plan to run an anti-John Kerry documentary days before last year’s election. For his stand, Leiberman received the Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism earlier this month in Eugene, Ore.

Well, this year, it’s not about politics. It’s all about profit. The controversy over Sinclair’s ban last year gave a substantial boost to Nightline’s ratings. Maybe the higher ratings would be good enough even for sweeps month.

I’m sure glad those guys aren’t on my side.