What Happened to the News?

I should just stop reading the news. I have stopped reading the newspaper (thank you, Internet), but still check in on the CNN and local news Web sites to see what’s happening in the world.

I’m never pleased with what I see. Today is no different.

First, there’s the Michele Bachmann corn dog controversy. Come on, people. The photo has gone viral as folks criticize Michele for eating a corn dog.

One of the gals in the video you’ll see if you follow my link said something like “where I’m from in the South, ladies don’t eat corn dogs like that. They break off a small piece with their fingers, dip it in mustard, and then nibble.” Is that so? Where I come from, ladies don’t look at pictures of a person innocently enjoying a beloved American treat at the Iowa State Fair and think the sort of thoughts many folks are thinking.

What’s worse? Michele Bachmann eating a corn dog like most other human beings? Or people the world over looking at the image of her eating said corn dog and saying it looks like she is “eating” something else?

As for other “news”…

Headlines like this one irritate me.

Those of you not from Maryland may not know that:

BGE = Baltimore Gas & Electric

Rawlings-Blake = Mayor of Baltimore

O’Malley = Maryland’s governor

First, it’s been just over 48 hours since Hurricane Irene ripped through. There are trees and power lines down all over the place.  Maryland is just one small piece of a much broader area impacted by the storm. There are only so many people capable of doing the type of work needed to restore power. Many of them are working around the clock. Yes, it’s a nuisance to be without power. But give the power companies a break.

Public criticism from people like Rawlings-Blake  does nothing to help the situation. Of course, the headline is from the Baltimore Sun. Maybe it’s just another lame attempt at making O’Malley appear reasonable.

Marylanders should be thankful. We could have fared a lot worse. Which brings me to another point…

Officials did not overreact. It was not unreasonable to order people to evacuate. It was not madness to predict the worst. People should be prepared.

What I think is crazier than all the pre-storm media hype is post-storm coverage from areas that were LUCKY not to get hit worse than what they did inferring that everyone overreacted. Saying officials were wrong to order evacuations. It’s much better to prepare for the worst than not be prepared when you need to be.

Just ask the people of Vermont. Although, even if they did get warnings, I don’t know how one can prepare for the devastation people in that state and surrounding areas are still experiencing.

That’s the other bit of news I can’t help but read. There’s been so much destruction. Yes, many people are still without power, but at least their homes are standing. Yep, lots of basements flooded. But I’ll take a flooded basement as opposed to having my entire town literally washed away.

It’s all very tragic and very sad.

Would I feel differently if I had lost power during the storm? If I were STILL without power? If my basement were flooded? Nope.

Yes, being powerless sucks. But being alive and healthy is awesome.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go buy me some corn dogs.