In view of recent life events, I haven't paid much attention to world affairs. As I'm starting to focus back in on the headlines, I can see that we have no lack of pathetic news scenarios with which to grapple.
There were the cartoons, of course. The satirical drawings that some in Islam claim are as reprehensible as the events of September 11. Of course, can't anybody see that? Drawings in a newspaper inflict exactly the same damage as jumbo jets deliberately crashing into buildings full of innocent civilians. Anyone who can make that assinine assertion with a straight face shouldn't be walking the streets.
Then, there was the political grandstanding at Mrs. King's funeral. Wasn't that just lovely? Such a tribute to her life it was, those snide jabs about Hurricane Katrina and WMDs. Leave it to Jimmy Carter to find such an inappropriate venue in which to hurl his verbal dung balls at the current U.S. president. Just about the classless behavior I have come to expect from Carter. All I can say is, "nuts" to that.
Now, we've got the unceasing flap about Vice President Cheney and the accidental shooting. Evidently there was a 20-hour delay in letting the press know about it. Okay, here's my question on that subject: If Cheney's office had notified the press immediately, how much do you want to bet the press would be yelling "damage control!" and criticizing the Vice President for not making medical attention for the injured man the first priority? Whatever you'd like to bet, I'd take it.
Let's not forget, there's also the deadly riots in Pakistan and the former VP Al Gore's anti-American comments in Saudi Arabia. Those last two stories seem more like real news to me than a shooting accident, because they impact all of the U.S. That's probably why we can't find much MSM coverage of them. Too much work for the press, too little damage to the president's administration.
I've been away from the news for almost a month, but it appears that nothing much has changed. Unless you count the fact that it's gotten worse.
