What the hell is going on in the US right now? Why is it that there has been hundreds of hours of analysis on Anna Nicole Smith and Paris Hilton and almost none on the successes going on in Iraq? Why is it that the Patriot Guard Riders don’t get the credit that they deserve and the media foists these bimbos people on us that are only famous for being famous?
Do you have any idea how much it angers me to see more than three weeks on Anna Nicole Smith and the day-by-day news on Paris? It mystifies me that the networks are assisting in the ridiculousness of the entire situation by spending hours and hours on this crap. They over-analyze all of this pop-culture bulls$%t, yet they refuse to acknowledge anything that might be going well in a combat zone.
I have been asked what the US can do to help support the soldier. Well, how about acknowledging that we are a country at war? I have read that the military is at war, the US is at the mall, and seeing this kind of crap on the news does nothing but turn my stomach and make me feel that statement is nothing more than the truth.
I got an email a while back that said that going home from Iraq is hard. It is hard to listen to people whining about being bored; to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes; to tolerate people complaining about the hassle of getting ready for work; to be silent when people pray for a new car; to be compassionate when someone expresses a fear of flying; to not ridicule someone complaining about the heat; to be civil when people complain about their jobs; to be happy for a friend’s new hot tub; to be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the house. I wish that it were not true, but I know that it will be. I guess that it is all a matter of perspective.
I wish that the media would get over making people famous and report the news. I am tired of the editorializing, the reporting with a slant (in either direction). Whatever happened to saying this is what happened; make up your own mind?
Now I have to watch the next forty-plus days of Paris in jail? You have got to be freaking kidding me. This is worse than the summer that the media decided to make everyone afraid of sharks. You know, the summer that shark attacks were lower than the previous years? I despise the damned news.
Let’s stop deserving this kind of celebrity and get on with life.
Carlo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ADDENDUM~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know that I am rather obscure with quotes and such, so I will clarify the title of this post. You see, it is a quote from the song “Dogma” by the group KMFDM. Be warned, however, they are an industrial band, so I make no claims that everyone will like their music!
Carlo is right. What happened to the days of reporting on the war? Has America, or more to the point, the news stations become complacent? Do they really believe that we want to know what happened to Paris? It is time to get real here.
I think that maybe it is time for America to stand up and let their voice be heard. It is time for Americans to contact ABC, NBC, FOX, and all of the rest of the stations to say enough is enough! It is time to put BS like Paris and Nicole back in the magazines where they once were. It is time to for Americans to stop the news paparazzi thinking that what they are giving us is what we want to see. Hhow sad is it that our news stations have become nothing more than paparazzi hounds?
I can remember a day when America wanted to know what was happening with our soldiers over in the war zones. I can remember a day when we were glued to our TV sets to watch a USO tour with Bob Hope or whomever just so maybe we Americans might see one of our own in the crowd.
Has the news media become too afraid to go into war zones? Has the administration called a halt to war news reporting? I don’t think so. Michael Yon is over there as a reporter, so why aren’t the news stations? We hardly hear anything about Iraq or Afganistan any more unless it is about how many of our soldiers were killed that day. Are we going to allow this to become another “Forgotten War”?
Maybe Carlo’s statement should become the voice of the soldiers over there fighting and dying for us. Maybe it should be sent out to all of the major stations as an anonymous statement of how our boys in the war zones see what America has become. Maybe it is time to wake up from the complacency and take a hard stand on what we are being dished in the news.
Are you with me?
I didn’t notice the spam protection math and now I lost my comment.
So I’ll just say yes, I agree, we need to remember who the real heroes are…Carlo and his comrades.
I pray for their safety when I say my prayers…not about the latest temper tantrum in L.A.
I agree for the most part, but, you know what?
I believe the American citizenry is 90% behind the War effort and the young men and women protecting our right to be shallow and banal.
Perrsonally, I was behind the Anna Nicole thing, as I felt it a travesty that H.K. Stern could get away with his shennanigans (both Anna, age 39 and her young son, age 20, both dead within 5 mos of each other…and both in his presence?) He needs to be held accountable. He turned Anna away from her family, her support, who loved her, although not always too perfectly. She got caught up in the world of drugs and notoriety and was easily swayed by those “managing” her “career”. That he could claim the baby by saying his name was on the Birth certificate?? That he was the “father”??
SCANDALOUS!! By that reasoning, I could name myself someone’s “father”. He is a flunkie lawyer who was probably assigned to Anna’s case against her deceased husband’s wealth…and stayed for the duration…and became Anna’s “go-fer”. After Daniel’s death, she was more and more medicated and exhausted..and subject to his mismanagement.
well enuf of that…BUT it’s still part of our Judicial systemn and we have GOT to get it right, or when WE are personally faced with something, we can be bamboozled by lawyers etc. SO…long story…it was revelant and important…else we are subject to someone’s else’s whims and are not our own person.
Back to the WAR!
Recently I’ve seen the American people take a National stand against the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT issue. We, as a country are no longer going to take the mechanizations of Politicians as the end all! We have a voice…and we as AMERICANS are speaking up! We WANT our borders SAFE…and we welcome Immigrants who follow the law and follow procedure for coming her to be productive citizens and not a product of WELFARE systems, draining the coffers that pronmise to care for US in old age and in infirm health. If you follow Hannity and especially his FREEDOM tours, you will see those silent Americans supporting TROOPS and their families. Recent is the one coming up soon in Atlanta, with amongst others, Lee Anne Rimes, Charlie Daniles and the Celebrity not afraid to speak out and to support troops and America. How heartening….we’ve been held silent for too long…and told we do not support the Military or the US or its Government. Every time I have heard that…I shout..”OH NO YOU DON’T!! You are speaking to the wrong people.” (like Cindy Sheehan and followers.) GOD BLESS AMERICA!! STAND STRONG!!
Judy
This is why I don’t bother watching the news outside of the local weather reports. I am a news junkie though – I have just learned to choose where I get my news from.
I lost my long winded comment also because of missing the spam protection.
Oh well, YES, I’m with you 100%. I think everyone in HollyHell should move to another country – that way “maybe” we wouldn’t be inundated with their outrageous stupidity, and could get the “real news”.
I copied your post and will take it up to mom
thanks
It’s not just Hollyweird – it’s hard to find an individual who doesn’t consider him/herself a victim for some reason – rather than accepting responsibility, making changes and better decisions. We reap what we sow, later than we sow and in greater abundance. “What” we sow is [has always been] up to us.
yes, brave young man, we are screwed by the media idiots and those who watch the crap they put out each day. “asleep at the war” may be a good description of the USA.
we get the sick, the perverse and the disgusting because… people watch it.
IF you turn off your TV, America is still the beautiful, even Mexifornia!
Carlo, my prayers are with you, and your fellow soldiers, and also praying that a remnant of patriots will remain for the coming battles.
You riled me up today, and that is good!
I agree for the most part that Americans are not that interested in Iraq. I feel we need to support the troops and always keep them in mind – but that doesn’t mean I agree with the war and why we are there. We need to be out of Iraq, and soon.
That says nothing at all about the quality of job the guys on the ground are doing – they are the best fighting force in the world. They are simply fighting the wrong fight at this time, due to the stubborn, wrong-headed guy who is running the place…
The news media is simply giving the audience what it wants. It’s too bad we’re so short-sighted and shallow that it interests us what Paris Hilton is doing with her life, but that is the case. I agree, it’s a shame!
As for people being worried about silly things like potholes… I suppose you’re right, but that is what WE’RE experiencing at this moment. Those are the “hardships” we’re going through. It’s a matter of perspective. Honestly, though – I hate it when the president says “go shopping, go about your business.” I feel like when we’re in a worthwhile war (such as we are in Afghanistan) we should all sacrifice a little. I don’t mind paying a little more tax if I’m funding a cause that is worthy, such as fighting terrorism in Afghanistan. I’d rather pay more tax than see us go further into debt like we’re doing now, with a president who is spending money like a drunken sailor. This Iraq fiasco has cost us 300 BILLION. Three. Hundred. Billion. Frankly, we’re finished over there. If they want freedom, it’s up to them to fight for it. There is no freedom if sacrifice isn’t made… and it’s time for the Iraqis to figure things out on their own.
It’s time for our boys to come home, or head to where Bin Laden is, root him out and shoot his ass. HE is our enemy… and he ain’t in Iraq. Never was.
Great post, Phoenix.
And Carlo – THANK YOU. I appreciate what you and your brothers and sisters are doing on behalf of a proud, grateful U-S.
Now, get home!!!
I agree about the bimbo fluff. Who cares? As for the media and Iraq, it’s the same as it is with any other news….if it bleeds it leads and bad news and body counts are what get reported. I don’t agree with that at all, but it’s the reality of today’s MSM. I admire independent journalists like Michael Yon for telling the real story of the lives that are on the line in the combat zone. I am 100% behind our troops and 100% against them being there. Thank you Carlo, for what you do. Get your tail home safely and quickly. ^j^
THE WAR: Like or hate Bush, what’s dfferent about this war is there are NO BORDERS…they are EVERYWHERE…including training Camps in Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, USA…you get the picture…and they don’t wear uniforms. Witness the New Jersey SIX and the recent group plotting to blow up Kennedy Airport and Gas Pipelines all the way to PA and OHIO…which would have made 9-11 look like a traffic accident.
It’s easier to get all out of joint and point fingers, but you have to beleive in SOMETHING…so it might as well be the dedicated man and women who keep us safe and in our Country in the process…and this includes undercover officials who at this point are still able to infiltrate and expose these sleeper cells before an atrocity takes place. If we don’t PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE to The United States of America…then to whom will you give your allegiance? If you ain’t part of the solution, you may well be part of the problem. We could have this all over sooner if we were not being tugged and pulled in so many directions. Remember that famous phrase of our forefathers? “A House Divided against itself will not stand.”
Bush may not be the best, but he’s what we have right now.(Elections coming soon to a town near you…watch the Debates and go in well informed, knowing who will do the best job…and then VOTE! I am against Bush’s Immigration leniancy. We want the Immigrants, but we want them legal, who have worked 20 years to get here, learned the language, pay Taxes and work for a living….and all the relatives follow the same path to become citizens as well. (Not Anchor babies)
Judy
They give the America public what the public wants; or at least, what they will stand for.
You know, like $3+ gas and $4 milk….
Wow, I love this discussion!!
Our servicemen deserve better than they are getting right now. Thank you Carlo for what you do and who you are, and that goes for all your buddies…male and female.
I agree that the news…some of it is not fair reporting. Personally, I subscribe to the blog “on the record” with Greta/Fox News. Seems to me she gives the most fair reports….but also has to do some of the “popular reporting” and is assigned by her station superiors. I like also that she reports a lot on the missing people in our USA.
Our local news station is more than fair in reporting good as well as the bad news. But I do wish we had more “in the field” reporting in Iraq and Afganistan and places like Darfor. Maybe would get people off their butts and doing more to help where it is needed.
You know.. I agree about the paris stuff and all the celebrity crap. And i imagine its hard to go home and face everyone who is worrieda bout this or that or says this or that when you’ve been away at war.. Because in a war zone.. Things are much different than they are at home.. But
Thats what people are doing.. Getting on with their lives..
I know when I had a friend come back after desert storm. He found it hard to deal with “society”. He said it was like everyone forgot what he was doing over there. And what the conditions were over there..
I really could not imagine being over in the war myself. Nor would I ever want to be.. Thats why i’m thankful for people who will and do give their time, energy, and lives for this country that so many take for granted. But yeah.. I’ll still bitch when its 100 degrees over here and my a/c is out. I’ll still bitch when I dont get a break and my mental health is at its end.. And i’ll still bitch when I cant afford health care etc. I’ll still hope for the things I need and seldom for the things I want. Because that is my life and what affects me.. personally.. But that in no way shape or form means that I dont appreciate what you or any other soldier and their families are giving or giving up. And it doesnt mean that I dont feel for the circumstances and the surroundings where they are. And it doesnt mean that I dont care about it either.
The media sucks.. pretty much!
Well put, Carlo. I am surprised that the local and national news media haven’t put up clocks to run on CNN, showing Day #whatever of Anna Nicole staying dead, or Day #whatever of Paris Hilton’s being inconvenienced by being asked to be responsible and accountable at the age of 26.
Oh well…leave the rest of us to support the troops, and leave the media to look more stupid, shiftless and irrelevant, day by day of Anna Nicole/Paris Watch.
The latest Hilton gossip has really pushed me personally over the edge. I spent 3 weeks in jail in August of last year for a “friend” of mine… The hardest part was the betrayal (known the guy for 17+ years)… I honestly couldn’t believe that I was hung out to dry like that… I did my time, though, and I am quite aware that I may end up doing a little bit more time up at the women’s correctional facility in Alto, GA. I’m not whining, though, because all of this occurred in my house. At least she was able to do the crime, something that I was “robbed” of. But I am willing to do my time. (A high price to pay for bad choice of friends.)
God Bless each and every one of our troops, Carlo. Not all Americans are gossip-crazy fiends… they just get all of the attention…
My goal….Win the Mega Lottery, start my own TV station with real NEWS reporters, no opinions, no fluff, just NEWS. Intersperse that with bits about people doing good things for each other, people paying it forward. Add a few dashes of laughter and some nature shows and that’ll do it. You rock Carlo! Thank you for all that you and all in the military do for everyone.
News media is a business, designed to sell advertising. In order to do that, they have to have ratings. When Network #1 is doing “hard news” and Network #2 is doing “fluff news” and is beating the pants off of #1 in the ratings, what is #1 going to do? Go fluff, of course. Carlo has it right in saying that we get what we deserve.
I saw in the news the other day that travel restrictions were being lifted because they were an inconvenience to travellers. It might make us less secure, but people just don’t want to have to be inconvenienced. There are two issues leading to this, as I see it.
First, the nation was sold a bill of goods by the administration that says that we can go to war on two fronts while simultaneously cutting taxes. Why? Because the case for attacking Iraq wasn’t strong enough to be sold on the basis of us having to give anything up (and also because this administration would be loathe to actually spend money on a domestic program).
Secondly, the American people today are not geared toward sacrifice. We were raised to believe that it’s all about us and our comfort, and accummulating as much as we can. As much as the war has been (improperly) compared to WWII, we cannot compare the people to that generation. During the depresion, people learned the value of the simple things. They learned that survival can require pulling together. They learned that waste makes want. Does anyone reading this know anyone who had to have a job at age ten so that they could help feed their family? I sure don’t. We’re pretty damn spoiled these days. To Americans now, poverty usually means having just one car and one TV.
These lessons learned during the depression came very much in handy during WWII. That generation was not only able to deal with rationing, but went the extra step to actively find materials that could be recycled for the war effort. They knew how to do without, because they’d been doing it for ten years already. They knew how to pull together, because they needed to do so for their own survival. Every day they were able to put their egos away and think about things that were bigger than them.
Americans just aren’t like that anymore. In fact, the “leaders” who would like us to support the war wholeheartedly are also he ones who will tell us that taxes should be lower so we can keep more of our money. They’re the ones who will divide us with politcal, economic, and racial lines. They’re the ones who will say “Oh, it’s a bother to get the passport before going to Mexico? Okay then, forget it.” They’re the ones who will make the southern border an immigration issue rather than the security issue it should be. And they set a very bad example, by using the situation to pursue a war of choice instead of going after the people who attacked us.
The plain fact is, the past few generations have been fed the idea that they are all very special people who deserve big mansions and fancy cars and should never settle for second best or do without. When you grow up thinking that, it’s going to be immpossible for you to sacrifice for something bigger because there is nothing bigger as far as you’re concerned.
There is also the fact that all the “reasons” for going into Iraq have been debunked, and we’re left with “spreading democracy.” That itself is dubious, because I cannot think of any country with a successful democracy that wasn’t won by the efforts of that country’s own citizens. I think that now that people realize this, they feel helpless to do anything about it, and a bit sheepish that they were led trustingly into it. While they want to “support the troops”, they feel taken in, so they just seek escape in American Idol or some such crap. I don’t think it’s anything against the troops, I think it’s just a matter of people feeling that they’re entitled to not hear what they don’t want to hear, and lacking the strength to deal with it.
I wish the best for the troops, and the worst for those people in DC who have so callously abused their good will and willingness to sacrifice.
Upon re-reading this, I’d like to clarify that when I write “people” I mean “some people”. Same with “Americans.” No single statement can be made to describe ALL Americans, except that we’re all Americans. Nor are my observations meant to be wholly inclusive in nature.
This morning after leaving Julia’s fasting labs appointment I went to my appointment with my Congressman’s office because I’ve drafted a bill that they confirmed today they will take to D.C. I remember after the kudos and “thank you for being an advocate for our troops” speech this morning that I told them, I do not have anything against the American people, I love my country and I know they are behind our troops. But it took a REPORTER getting hurt before the Walter Reed scandal broke. It took boys of 19 pulling their commanders out when they are injured in an ambush for this war to come home for some of us. It took a couple spending their son’s life insurance policy on his comrades for better body armor before people heard about how bad that was. Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith (and YES, God rest her soul because you do NOT disparage the dead) are not heroes, Carlo is; Cory is; Joshua is; Jerry is; Amanda is; and every name I can’t even fathom…they are.
I will never forget the moment Geraldo drew that map in the sand the night before the war; I will also never be able to forget that it took a reporter getting hurt for the American people to be told what a travesty and joke the VA system is. It was the first time I saw any good come out of a reporter being in a combat theater.
If we want to have entertainment news, fine. I myself have a celebrity crush. But let’s define what’s entertainment and let’s define what’s news. Paris’ temper tantrums aren’t news; a young Iraqi girl being walked to school for the first time in her life IS; bad body armor IS; vehicle protection IS; traumatic brain injuries and PTSD ARE; the VA doing to veterans what would be a felony if done to animals? IS.
You’re absolutely correct, Monica. Unfortunately, it’s mostly about selling ad time to Proctor-Gamble and Pfizer, and they tend to follow the formulas that are getting the ratings. These same dippy stars get the most Google searches, too – it’s what the majority of folks are interested in.
Of course, we’re smarter than them.
Seriously, though, the alternative is a government owned media, and then we’d never hear about these things at all.
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