united states of entertainment

Initially I wanted to write a tribute to my fallen comrade Michael Jackson. However, I cannot at this time albeit I have written such a tribute. Instead I would like to question the voracity of us as a people and the outlets that in theory are supposed to provide honest, terse and complete information regarding what events are occurring around the world – the media, specifically the news media.

As a child I was brought up under the premise that news was designed to keep us informed of important and significant events around the globe. However it appears that currently, news has become a synonym for entertainment and ratings. Case in point is the death of the aforementioned superstar. It has been one week since the pop legend past. However, more than 60 percent of all news coverage after his death up until last night has focused Mr. Jackson. Even more disturbing is the observation that of all cable coverage in addition to news coverage accounted for 93 percent of what was presented on television was on Michael.

Although his death was tragic, my concern is that I wonder what impact he had on all our lives that was tangible. Sure we know all his video dances and the lyrics to his songs and loved him as the greatest entertainer of our era, but is it really that important. Why is it that in the times when our economy is in shambles (in fact 6 banks closed in Illinois yesterday), and the historical importance of the events in Iran in concert with the massive 4000 man front we started in Afghanistan two days ago, is not followed or a concern as the death of a celebrity?

I have tried to search high and low about reports concerning new events in Iran and the troop deployment down the Helmand River valley in Taliban strong holds. But Very little, nada can be found. It is even difficult to find reports on the military build up and likely conflict with North Korea. T seems like we are hypnotized and control by the media. I guess it is true what they say – out of sight, out of mind. I hope that we really value the importance of being accourant and staying a breasted of all events around the world instead of being side tracked by fame, fortune and celebrity. If we are not, well it is a real frightening proposition for me. I guess they also call it the Boob tube for a reason for I guess only boobs watch it. I have said many times prior that in these United States of America, Freedom and ignorance is incompatible. Maybe we should just change the name out right to the United States of Entertainment.

of Bushes,Turks & the Taliban

Jones main, it’s on. The news has not even made it yet but it appears as if the fragile whatever you call it we put up in Iraq to represent a government has officially dissolved. You see, while most of us up in this camp were sleeping last night, the Turks were sending warplanes over into Iraq to bomb the Kurds. I suspect they were targeting a political group called the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The Turks have outlawed the group, but it seems kind of feculent to outlaw an organization in another country, which operates basically autonomously. The say these raid were some 60 miles into Iraq.

Meanwhile on the otherwise of the field (it is football season), all I read about Afghanistan' from this side of the block, is that we are winning the battle, that more and more Taliban fighters are being killed and that each day we work with or favorite Dictator in Pakistan to make progress in terror (that is if progress includes more videos circulating in Pakistan that show 12 year olds beheading a Pakistani's accused of being U.S. spys). The Taliban is always executing and beheading folks who they claim to be spys for the US, we just never see it on TV unless the spies are actual US citizens. I mean Bush and the US media obviiously think that it take four such acts or more to equal one US life. But at the same time, Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai is asking for more help to develope his armed forces.

Well I guess the Bush administration has some good news to report by their standards, after all the aforementioned and said dictator, just lifted the emergence rule he just placed over his country because they would not vote for him (during a period in which HE amended the country's constitution). At least we can be thankful hat George W. Bush isn’t a general, no telling what he would have done by now.