Saturday, July 11, 2009

Information Overload




After surfing the internet the past five days or so, I have discovered there are many differences in the way things are presented on the web when it comes to news stories.
The news media is also in on this as well as evidenced by watching the news coverage on the three major networks on television as well as the cable news networks.
We are in information overload these days people.
Take the news stories that have dominated the headlines the past couple of weeks.
We have the woman formerly known as the Governor of Alaska dominating things. Michael Jackson died and the coverage of his memorial service was overwhelming as ALL the major networks and cable news stations as well as millions of blog sites covered the events.
In mentioning this, Bill O' Reilly of Fox News Channel became a lightning rod for controversy (nothing new there) by doing a hatchet job on Jackson the day of his memorial in Los Angeles.
People are entitled to their own opinions, but have some class when one is still being mourned. This blogger likens that to desecration of a dead person.
So... in my opinion, Bill O' Reilly continues to be a jerk!
Other major stories had Republican Senator John Ensign (Nevada) and Republican Governor of South Carolina Mark Sanford behaving like a couple of would-be porn studs romping around with women in extra marital affairs and then either paying out "hush" money or else, in Sanford's case, trying to justify their actions with numerous press conferences.
Seems very strange to me that in these times we live, the basics in life, meaning sex and death, continue to dominate our fascination.
Is that a sad commentary on the state of humanity in our country or is it the media's fault for the bombardment of it on all of us?
Recently, this blog site has run photos of clowns and slutty looking women in the featured "photo of the day" regarding a certain house on C Street in Washington, D.C. because these people who hang out there and call themselves Christians are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites.
They like to talk the talk but they do not walk the walk as
they hide behind religion and mock the scriptures when they behave this way.
I am talking about Ensign and Sanford.
Ensign in particular, had Republican Senator Tom Coburn (Oklahoma) and former Republican Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum looking out for him regarding his affair with a former staffer who is also married.
Ensign made statements regarding all of this a couple of weeks ago and then BAM... we find out after the smoke begins to clear away from Michael Jackson and the woman formerly known as the Alaska governor, that his mommy and daddy paid out nearly $100,000 to the family of the woman he was carrying on with.
Unbelievable!
Soap opera writers could not come up with shit this good.
The Senate ethics committee, if it has any stones at all, should do a thorough investigation of this matter.
These people are supposed to be "governing" for their constituents. What are they doing? Why is this happening?
Again, the media and bloggers alike jump on the other stories and "spin" our attention away from these things with constant updates from Alaska.
You betcha!
Point is if someone such as the woman formerly known as the Alaska governor or Ensign, Coburn, Sanford, etc. want to be in the jobs they hold (or held) then they have to set an example as well.
You cannot have it both ways.
Ensign insisted that former President Bill Clinton should have been impeached in 1998 following the Monica Lewinsky scandal. People backing the right wing movement will always point out that Clinton perjured himself and that is why the good senator called for such action.
Phooey!
Just like Newt Gingrich (another fine example of hypocrisy), Ensign called for the head of someone after himself carrying on with another woman just like the man he was coming down on for his affair at that time.
Bloggers left and right have been having a field day with these stories.
On the television coverage of these stories, CNN tends to remain somewhat neutral regarding its angle of the story. Fox News however, will lambaste the Democrats (like Clinton) when they falter. But they quickly change their tune for the Republicans (Ensign and Sanford) when they fall into trouble. Fox actually labeled Sanford as a Democrat when posting his title as governor on their newscast.
On the other side, MSNBC will fry the Republicans for their misdeeds while seeking excuses for the Democratic members when they screw up as they tend to be the anti-Fox news broadcast.
Lately however, it has been nothing but Republicans screwing (no pun intended) things up as the world turns.
It would be nice to see a different world politically speaking if our elected officials could clean up their act and stop the silliness and get some things done in Congress in this 111th session. After all, they are headed for recess in less than a month.
What will the political bloggers and news networks cover while they are gone?
I shudder to think about it.

2 comments:

  1. Jim,
    I think this stuff has always been an issue with elected officials. We just knew about it because it was swept under the rug and hidden. Look at JFK's history with women.

    I just wish they would not stand up and degrade someone for committing a sin that they are guilty of also. I guess they never think they will get caught. And Bill O'Reilly has a lot of nerve. He has his own sex scandal.

    Of course I am a fan of MSNBC because they lean in my direction, but it would be nice to have unbiased TV once in a while.

    Of all the news to come out in the past week the only thing I considered good news was that Roland Burris would not run for election next year.
    The crazy woman from Alaska has an agenda- I just haven't figured it out yet.

    On a happier lighter note. NFL pre-season is right around the corner. Can't wait! Now if only Favre would just stay in Mississippi and forget his antics. What do you think about him?
    And poor McNair- what a way to go out. His legacy is forever tarnished.

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  2. That's true ... but don't use religion (as hardcore righties tend to do) as a prop.
    As for myself, I'm up front about things... just don't hide things from people. Trust has to be earned and elected officials are trusted public servants, they are not dictators. Thank God for that!

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