Bits & Pieces
Bits and pieces from this reporter's notebook.
Da-deet-da-deet-da-deet-deet....The feds and some states are rushing to indict the snipers, setting up a struggle for which jurisdiction gets to put a needle in daddy's arm. Will it be Alabama, where he allegedly killed a woman at a liquor store last month? Or in Washington state, where the murder spree may have started? Or in Virginia, which seems most anxious? Or Maryland, where most of the killings -- that we know of -- took place? Don't count out The Mighty Ashcroft, however, 'cause he's rabid enough to shoot the juice himself, loudly proclaiming his is god's work. No word yet on how they're gonna get around laws that prevent 17-year-old killers from being executed.
Da-deet-da-deet-da-deet-deet....Other crimes in the news include the Moscow gas attack, although some would argue that the cost was worth the price. More than 119 hostages lost their lives, but it could have been 700, it might be argued, and who could argue with that? Well, the families of those who didn't walk out, maybe. Was the gas a good idea? Was it properly administered? What will happen next time? One begins to lose confidence in humanity.
Da-deet-da-deet-da-deet-deet....And confidence in the economy, at least among American consumers. The index is down to its lowest level in nine years. New layoffs in the thousands are announced on a weekly basis. States are announcing cutbacks in essentials services for the needy. The stock market moves in fits-'n-starts. The warmongers are breathing expensive fire. The deficit is climbing steadily. What's confusing is why more people aren't concerned. Maybe they've stopped paying attention to the news.
Da-deet-da-deet-da-deet-deet....Which wouldn't be an altogether big mistake. There's not a lot of good news, and those who recognize their civic duty and try to stay current on events are having a heckuva time. When the Russian hostage crisis was breaking, CBS Radio chose to ignore it, squandering precious reporting time instead on new irrelevancies in the Toogood child-beating case, and following the bouncing World Series ball. They once were a premiere news operation.
Da-deet-da-deet-da-deet-deet....Unlike CNN, which pioneered steadfast mediocrity and then went into decline. Maybe their low-budget hiring attracted only b-teamers from the better news organizations, but then they made no effort to train them. I mean, an Appeals Court overturns a ruling, it doesn't overthrow it. Yes, they have good people, like Frank Sesno, but why Wolf Blitzer is still on the air is a curiosity. And he's a lot better than many of his colleagues.
Da-deet-da-deet-da-deet-deet....Especially at Headline News, where they slobber all over themselves for offering "Real news. Real fast." First of all, it should be really fast, and second, it should be real news. These slimesuckers are clueless about what they are reading. Coming out of the tragedy of the Wellstone story last week, one of their bimbettes got all giggly over the story of a couple of deer breaking through the window of McDonald's. Not very funny to begin with, particularly to the people who were injured. And to then make a joke about "a meal for a buck" somehow didn't sound fitting right after reporting that the conscience of the Senate and seven others had died in a plane crash.
And that's SetonnoteS...I'm Tony Seton.
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