63 Ruining the Blitz

First, let me say that I love WVU. They have done a good job this year with all the injuries, weak lines and suffering from "White" withdrawal and having a QB that has sat on the sidelines for 4 years. I hope they continue their winning ways. Go EERS!!

Now that you think this is about football, let me disappoint you: today we'll be discussing how the media is full of crap.

We can start with the latest attempt by the media to make something from nothing--Tiger Woods infamous tree/hydrant fiasco. I will say that there is some modicum of deserved scrutiny when it comes to any kind of star, whether they are an athlete or an actor, but it should only go so far. The media jumps at the first hint of a high-profile individual with a fart cross-ways. They manufacture stories where there are none or where there should be none. Tiger and his wife are obviously having problems and yes, that's what lead to the crash. Other than reporting that he crashed and injured himself, that is where the story should stop. Well, I'll give them that they could report whether he would continue on tour or if he injured someone else, but that's it. I dont give a fig whether he's fighting with his blond trophy wife unless it affects his playing ability and then, I dont want to know about his personal life. Besides, I find golf pretentious and boring. He might be interesting, but since he and I will never be close friends or buddies, I DONT CARE!!! They have blown it out of whack trying to garner ratings. It truly surprises me that the murder-ratzi dont have people following everyone of interest, letting us know when they have started their menstrual cycles or they're constipated. "Did they eat their peas and carrots? Film of the doo- doo at 11"

Good lord, they couldnt let Princess Di have her final moment. Some ass wipe actually poked his head in the car, snapping photos before the rescue vehicles got there. We should have stopped this crap right then and there. The dude should have been prosecuted and hung out to dry. From that point on, we should penalize every one of these dipsticks that think that ratings are more important than peoples' right to privacy. I will say that if someone volunteers information I think then and only then is it fair game. Yes, as a species , we crave blood and gore, death and destruction, and we will soak up any of it that is put before us. Does that make it right? During Katrina, if they would have put half the effort into rescue and aid that they did in getting the "money shot" they could have saved more lives. I know it did occur on some levels, but it should have been AID FIRST, ratings second.

We have gotten to hear how it was wrong for Miley Cyrus to pose with her Dad in what THEY called "suggestive" poses. HE is her Dad and if he decided it wasnt inappropriate, then we should have A-enjoyed the photos and B-moved on. We are told how so and so is "a diva on the set or in the studio" or some actor is "in rehab" I think we should not have to worry about their pampered asses when most of us are doing good to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. You know what I mean. They have the kind of money and/or influence to not work for months or years on end and hire people to handle and control every aspect of their lives, so yes, they probably have problems. Truth be told, they probably have more trouble than we do. It still doesnt make it right for the media to give us every little freaking detail.

I dont care if it's double standards: I think public officials SHOULD have a certain measure of elevated coverage. I still dont want to know if they get along with their wives or if their kid is emo or gay or a different political party from his parent. I want to know what their financial dealings are outside of normal home upkeep bills. Their morals and inclinations should be under scrutiny as well, they are after all, our choices to make important decisions on our behalf, right? They should be beyond reproach. If they dont want their decision-making abilities determined by how they comport themselves and how they handle their homes and/or businesses, then they shouldnt run for office.

We perpetuate this madness every time we watch a news story about how Brangelina is having a problem or who Paris Hilton is banging this week. Again, I dont care, unless Miss Jolie is coming over to hook up with me and the Missus. :) Megan Fox is just as acceptable, except that deformed thumb kinda freaks me out, anywhoo- I digress: We keep their ratings up and in turn, they determine that we want more and more of these stories, so, they keep picking and picking and breaking down even the most intimate details of those peoples' lives.

Do you hear 30 stories a day about how Iran's president is a madman, bent on attaining nuclear weapons? NO, you hear 1 or 2 about how he is suspect and how he is detaining(unjustly) a couple of Americans. Do you hear about the bloody conflicts in Africa? NO, only if it affects something related to us or our interests. Do they make a big deal about the ongoing drought conditions that are becoming critical in our country? NO. Do you hear about anyone doing anything good or moral? Rarely. Instead, you hear about how Tom Cruise is a Scientoligist and (wink, wink) he's keeping Katie and Suri under his thumb. We hear about things that only a few decades ago would have made most people blush. I think most of us would like to know the how's and why's of events that cause pain, strife, death and monetary imbalance, but we dont want to know why some guy ran over a fire plug and hit a tree, injuring no one but himself. Oh, that's right , he's worth 100 million or so. That makes it much more newsworthy that he and his plastic-enhanced wife are fighting and she thought using one of his own golf clubs on him was a good way to teach him not to cheat. What if one of you wives out there whacked your hubby on the head with a fishing pole for doing something stupid and he didnt press charges? NO STORY. What if you beat the windows out of his truck/car and he or the neighbors didnt call the cops? NO STORY.

Maybe it's time to turn off the tv or at least not watch any news shows for a while. Let the military sort out some of the madmen out there the best way they know how and on the homefront, we'll quit going to movies for a while to bring some of these over-paid theatre majors down to our size. Yes, yell at me about checks and balances. We COULD send mass e-mails and letters to news channels and radio around the country to tell them to just report the facts and lay off some of the sensationalized crap for a while, but, we're just too apathetic. "I dont want to be the only one to do it and then be ostracized or ridiculed" " I dont have time" " It's not my problem" It really doesnt take that big of a percentage of people to complain or praise to change programming or business tendencies. Trust me. If 5 or 10 percent would complain, maybe we could reverse the trend.

Wouldnt it be nice to get back to the "Fireman rescues cat" or "Maniacal despot eliminated by surgical SEAL strike" headlines? I think, as usual, I have generalized a bit too much or not covered enough for you, but then, you guys usually chime in and give me the "rest of the story" ...good day. ......Paul Harvey? Get it? hint hint, good news with a twist of Americana? We do need to hear the nitty gritty of the bad things that go on and I will say that I was relieved when that cop blew away that gutless cop-killer yesterday. Thank God we didnt have to listen to his lengthy trial and incarceration. Think of the money he saved the taxpayers by getting rid of this scum. We would have had to listen to the media picking apart every aspect of this guy's life. We still will, it will just be abbreviated. Look what happened with Michael Jackson's life and career. I dont care how much his funeral cost. We lost a musical icon with enormous talent who was misunderstood and pressured by the media and therefore the public until he directly or indirectly shortened his life. I blame the media for indirectly causing his death. I blame the media for being pressured by politicos into not reporting political and financial news until the damage is done and it's too late. We pay the price, time and time again because of our...anybody? Apathy. I beat that dead horse constantly.

As I go and prepare to return to the deep, dark woods, let me ask you this: Would your life really be that different without the news as it is reported by most media? You still go to work and plan for your futures. You may glean some financial leanings from them, but mostly you use traditional means of financial planning. Would your world fall apart if some teeny bopper star decides to get knocked up at a too-young age or goes on a drinking binge? You still have to teach your kids right from wrong and would be better off without the knowledge that a spoiled, rich star/starlet has gone over the edge. Last but not least, we wouldnt have to look at Perez Hilton or Tila Tequila anymore. I wonder if Kurt Loder is still alive?.....