This Is News?

Ages ago, Pete Seeger and Peter, Paul, and Mary whined about where all the flowers had gone and asked the rhetorical question, “Oh, when will they ever learn?/ Oh, when will they ever learn?” Since it’s still only April in our very un-Gore-ishly cold country, a plenitude of flowers isn’t due for another month or so but their question in 2009 could very well be directed to the print media, news services, and our new president-in-training: When will they ever learn?

As American newspaper after American newspaper folds, succumbing to the powerful force of the internet, they say, while seemingly oblivious to the reality that millions of us neither believe their slanted reporting nor trust them as far as we can throw a newspaper delivery truck, they nevertheless continue to report the inconsequential and, most egregiously, their skewed version of “the news.” At the same time, reality keeps biting Obama on the arse but he too doesn’t seem in learning mode.

Cases in point:

The Associated Press believes that teenaged Bristol Palin’s romantic life constitutes a newsworthy story: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003950844. The highly-respected AP may next report that Bristol, who happens to be the daughter of the much-reviled governor of Alaska, has developed a nasty pimple or that Baby Tripp contracted a mild case of the croup. I can understand the need for variety in AP wires but do the editors there really believe teen romance, or lack thereof, constitutes “news,” per se? Bristol obviously made the mistake of hooking up with a loser who now craves a piece of the publicity pie. That’s as believable as the distinguished Associated Press making an issue of the rare instance of teen sex gone awry. Or could this be yet another effort to further tarnish Sarah Palin and her family?

As we shiver just going out for the paper in the morning on these expectedly balmy April days, our very astute leader, President Barack Hussein Obama has plans to relieve all our chills. His equally astute science adviser, “John Holdren told The Associated Press . . . that the idea of geoengineering the climate is being discussed. One such extreme option includes shooting pollution particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect the sun’s rays:” http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97ECHLG1&show_article=1. The AP dutifully reported that bizarre scheme which was long ago debunked as reported here: http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=701. Since Obama notoriously keeps the Oval Office temperature at hothouse levels, he may not be aware that, Baby, it’s cold outside!

Undismayed by climate reality, Barack moved on to social matters and to demonstrate his commitment to transparency and objectivity nominated homosexual Harry Knox to his “faith-based minority council.” Mr. Knox, “a self-professed Christian who holds that the New Testament’s teaching that homosexual behavior is unnatural and wrong–which is found in St. Paul’s letter to the Romans–’is not true:’ ” http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=46263. Well, go figure! . . .

(Read the rest at http://genelalor.com/)