Out of the bizarre and into the bizarrerer

This morning I decided to switch up my mainstreammedia routine and check out some ABC morning news. Both the local news and Good Morning America featured the story about the woman who became pregnant after her parachute didn't open (very interesting story really) and then GMA reported on Bush saying yesterday that "give or take" about 30,000 Iraqis will no longer be marching to freedom - in this world anyway.

THEN it got weird. GMA decides to do a "fact check" on that number. Claire Shipman reports. Seems that Iraq Body Count has the number at 27,000 to 30,000 but that doesn't include Iraqi military or police. The Brookings Institute has "really tried" to keep track and they have the number at 10-18,000 but that doesn't include the "initial invasion" (not to be referred to as "Shock and Awe" here please no "spectacular" stock footage).

No I know that I had heard 100,000 somewhere.... she will surely mention it, right? No. See here for the 100K source



However NOW it is okay to compare this war to Vietnam. You see in Vietnam about 2 MILLION civilians were killed and in World War II "tens of millions" were killed so eh what's 100K anyway?

Ms. Shipman wrapped it up this way , "Some people are saying that it is good that President Bush is so engaged and is aware of what the costs of this war are" with the White House over her shoulder.

Pretty amazing. I was shocked I don't know why I would be at this point (Rumsfeld actually criticized the coverage ANY coverage of the situation in Iraq a few weeks ago--and I thought THAT was bizarre) but then they finished big.

back to Robin Roberts in the studio...."Congressional hearings will begin today (I freeze in my tracks mid tooth brush) looking into the disappearance of Americans on cruise ships. At least 12 people have gone missing over the last 2 years..."

I then fastforwarded the digital cable and from what I could ascertain ABC had a small mustachioed man on explaining that there seems to be something involving a giant ape and the cruise ships. Something like that. That made a lot more sense than anything else I had seen to that point.

to stand up for the truth. They are afraid to do what's right. They have made themselves obsolete. They are useless.

Again, all except a very few.

the government can continually contradict itself and hardly anyone notices.

who knew?

actually that is something like 10 people in the last ten years (tipping over).

Yeah Congressional hearings for that.

"...about the woman who became pregnant after her parachute didn't open"

:wow:

to do with each other?

hit news. You pick the source.

The story basically is a 21 year old woman went sky diving (first time) and video taped it. Her chute didn't open and she hit face first going about 50 MPH. She was in the hospital for a long time (face rebuilt) during which time they found out that she is/was pregnant.

I just through that in there for some humor.

and information at about the time I figured out the whole gods (and lack thereof) thing.

I got no interest in actors telling me all I need to know in 9 second sound bytes. I'd rather read, research and form my own opinions.

That's why we keep the teevee pretty much off in my house!!! But it IS good for amusement now and then, that's for sure.

For several reasons I see things differently these days.


I never thought that "the box" was telling me the truth but it just seems to be getting more bizarre everyday.

Yes, I'm being sarcastic, but I'm sure the fundies will see it that way. Then again, they believe that every birth is a "miracle". (I wish somebody would explain biology to these people, once and for all).

CNN was GOOD this morning. Three distinct things but the first two boggled my brain so much I can't recall the 3rd.

Soledad (however you spell it) listened in horror to the story of trailers for NOLA that are sitting there waiting. The guy from the parish there got them $3,000 cheaper and was about to lose them because of FEMA. She didn't just listen, she swore to get to the bottom of it.
She also pointed out for us northerners it DOES get cold in winter there, this was urgent.
She has already been following up, gotten some answers and is still swearing they will get to the bottom of it.

The man on with her had to interview Lynne Cheney. She was about to go to schools to talk to kids about how the war in Iraq is like our war of independence. He asked something like how she could possibly say that with a straight face, they were invaded, it was the invaders they were fighting, we started the war, not them, they didn't ask for this. She blathered on a while. He curtly said "thank you" and his face looked like it had been licking an ashtray after snacking on maggots.

Let me get all my shocking compliments out of the way at the same time. Old Lou Dobbs always compares Fitzgerald's investigation to Watergate. Every night he says how it has already gone on longer then Watergate.

But be still my heart, Friday he added this:

To put that in perspective, the entire Watergate investigation lasted a mere 288 days. But the CIA leak investigation is still well behind that of the Whitewater investigation.

Compared to Kenneth Starr's Whitewater investigation, Fitzgerald's probe has lasted almost two years and has cost U.S. taxpayers less than $800,000. The Whitewater probe, which lasted a total of six years, cost taxpayers more than $52 million.