So, I faltered.....quickly. I watched TV news and it was GREAT!
Working the Elliptical machine at the gym, I looked down from the balcony area to the main floor where no less than 15 large screen TVs hang. Half have either 24 hour news channels or morning shows. I tried to look away, staring at the screen of the girl next to me watching MTV (which is a whole other story in itself and later in the week had me watching "Headbangers Ball"). Then my eyes wandered. 'Holy Sh!t, is that Bill Hemmer?' It was! I rapidly retrieved my earphones and plugged in. I knew it was wrong, but it was Bill and I hadn't seen him since his days at CNN. I had no idea he had gone to Fox news. "Crush" doesn't adequately describe my love for this journalist. Look at him. He's Ken in the flesh. AND brilliant. And my 'drug' of choice.
He was in Baghdad interviewing Generals and Colonels about the improvements in the everyday lives of both the soldiers and civilians in Iraq. Life is better for people in Iraq, and he was there with cameras to prove it. Riding in a helicopter that day, one Colonel said, "we used to fly over and worry about attacks on us and those on the ground. These days, we see traffic and worry about whether or not people will get to work on time." Later, he spoke with the US Ambassador to Iraq who emphasized how important it is that we follow through with the commitment we've made to the Iraqi people who have been through hell and finally beginning to see their hope of a better life becoming reality. That the lives lost are not in vain because we freed a population from a brutal dictator and for that we should feel proud to share our values of freedom with others. So true. Thanks, Bill...I needed the dose of good news...cause I'm not getting it on CNN.
I'll not apologize for my leap back on the wagon because its wheels rolled me back to Bill and it felt SOOOO good!
11 comments:
well if you're going to fall off the wagon, there are less attractive places to land, i suppose. of course, my heart belongs to anderson cooper.
Being informed is definitely a good drug - woohoo!
E-I love Anderson Cooper too. How's he doing? Tell him I said, "hi."
I, too, heart anderson.
I never heard of this guy but will keep an eye out for him. Sounds like I could heart him too :)
i never flip over to fox news. he is cute though!
ugh...I'm going to get shotdown for this, and I apologize to dear Jessica, but......is it fair to say that all of those quotes by military personnel in Bagdad were from OFFICERS? Am I wrong to think that some of what they're saying is propoganda? sorry..... I don't want to stir up a controversy on this lu'vly site..but I'd rather hear that stuff from the boys and girls who are on the front lines... :)
Ok, I"m going to duck behind my barracade and dodge the rocks and arrows!
Oh, and Anderson Cooper is gay. Sorry ladies :) And your Ken Doll had "work" done ;) As Ringo said recently: "peace adn luv, peace and luv"
Don't hate me because I"m a brat, Jess.... WUV, Uncoo M
Okay, Michael, clearly you don't understand how the military works. Officers from Lieutenants on up through Majors spend AS MUCH time on the ground as the enlisted (non-officers) since they lead enlisted troops on foot with rifle in hand and see that same action and take the same fire. The difference is they are ultimately responsible for the actions of their troops. Once an officer reaches the rank of Lt. Colonel and up, through hard work and having made the military their life commitment (not just a few years of enlistment), they spend less time in the thick as organizers and strategizers, but still spend an enormous amount of time on the ground to understand needs. Think about my family history and understand why suggesting that all officers are is just a propaganda mouth piece would be insulting. Their DUTY is report the facts as they see them.
Things ARE better in Iraq, but you don't want them to be and I find that upsetting. Don't you WANT better for people across the globe, in this case, Iraqis, or would you rather just keep freedom for yourself? Regardless of whether or not you supported going into this war or you thought it was for the wrong reasons, we have the opportunity to make good out of a mess by bringing freedom to the oppressed. Why not hope for that? Why not pull for that?
Now, from the front lines, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8
i have dibs on anderson. called it.
jess...as for you & news...it's clearly a marriage made in heaven. why deny yourself something that gives you so much pleasure. i've never even seen this guy and cannot believe you wrote that you "hadn't seen him since his days at CNN." i almost died with laughter. dork. you're too much.
ps: i can call you a dork without guilt because i live with a dork everyday...i see her about 20 times a day in the mirror.
I guess all officers in the military are propagandists. Bad military officers!
This person clearly has no clue about anything military. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
Betsy, you're like my drug pusher. Pssst, meet me behind the dumpsters for some of that sweet Anderson Cooper.
I apologize publicly to anyone that I may have offended. I would be the first to admit that I have no clue how the hierarchy with the military works. Perhaps I misappropriated a certain position or rank..... My point had more to do with media manipulation in general. One of the things I've admired about some of the many indie style documentaries that have come out is that they just allow the camera to run...recording everyone's first hand perspectives regardless whether it aligns with the filmmaker's or not. Unfortunately, those pieces that are decidedly anti- Iraq war seem to disappear much more rapidly than anything in support; that is, when they are much more unaltered so as not to have them be passed off as typically "Michael Moore" biased...
I made a gross generalization taht had more to do with spinning done by those in positions of power. I did not mean to say all Officers are spin doctors, or they all even share one common point of view....they obviously don't. Regardless, this was NOT meant towards any individual or microcosm of a larger group..... Most specifically in this case, Jessica's parents, all of whom have or still work in the military...and..um...some who have been given,or have close associates who have attained, the position of Officer....ooopss...... Sorry. Wasn't thinking that deep within the ranks... I happen to very much like all four of Jessica's parents, and did not intend to hurt or insult any of them!
Debra: Does this mean I don't get the recipe for baked beans? :(
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