Thanks, O.J.!

"Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt ... making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting veep since Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, of course, [was] shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington? Mistaken for a bird." -- Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

Ever since the O.J. Simpson trial, we have all had to deal with news "stories," run into the ground whether the topic was major or minor. I do not watch any of the news channels, and I rarely watch televised local or national news. I rely on the www to get my news, mostly from the Associated Press which for the most part tells things like they are, and in a simplistic manner.

Are there ever instances with round-the-clock in-your-face news reporting is necessary? Yes. September 11, the Tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina come to mind. Does anyone need to be subjected to James Frey and Oprah stories on all cable news networks, all night long, and into the next day, after she publicly bashes him on her show for lying? HELL NO! Was the Terri Schiavo melodrama overplayed? HELL FUCKING YES!

Yes, Vice President Dick Cheney shot a man while hunting. Quail hunting. What is it with VP's and quayle... er... quail, anyway? As Sophia Petrillo would say, "but I digress." Is this a major story? Maybe. Is it worthy of the monologues of our late night talk show hosts? Hell yes. For god's sake, media, let the poor man who was shot, and his family, be. Let him recuperatete. Leave them to deal with him. Don't camp out at the hospital waiting for news of the poor man's condition. ENOUGH!

I suppose, we as a society are to blame for the monster media which now exists. Nancy Grace. Good god. Don't get me started. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to put a microphone on that bitch and put her on TV is/was insane. Same for Bill O'Reilly, and Tucker Carlson, and James Carville, and even though he started out eons ago in what I call the legit media, Geraldo Fucking Rivera too. What a bunch of pompous assholes.

Did you ever stop to ask yourself why such a fuss was made over the death of Peter Jennings? It's quite simple actually. He was a class act. He did his job well. He was not controversial. He told things as they were, and did not speculate. To think that people believe Nancy Grace is a journalist is enough to make you toss your lunch. Guilty until proven guilty is her mantra. And why is Bob Schiffer of CBS Evening News doing so well in the ratings? He is old school, he's a true journalist, with the utmost of integrity.

The www isn't without fault either. It's a wonderful tool. I love it. But, it's turned many of us into robots who search for the most ridiculous news. Do I need to know on Yahoo's homepage under it's "In the news" section that the actor who played Tom Willis on the Jefferson's died? NO! Yeah I'm rambling on and on now, but so what, this is my blog. And I can if I want to.

Now back to why I began this. While it is certainly newsworthy that the vice president shot a man, what does this really have to do with any of us? Regardless of how we feel about the man from a political standpoint, it has no bearing on his politics or on how the Country is or is not run. It does not deserve the insane amount of media attention it is receiving.

Getting back to an earlier blog, when non-stories such as this get airtime and print space, and major items such as the United States siding with Iran on anything does not, it is a sad, pathetic commentary on the state of the media in this country.

So, again, Thanks O.J.!