BREAKING NEWS

I can’t figure out why I listen to the news. In most instances, it’s really not news, it’s commentary.  Depending on which channel you watch, you can get whichever opinions supports your own beliefs.  You can get the opinions you are looking for 24 hours a day!  Every hour a banner crosses your screen proclaiming, “BREAKING NEWS” followed by the journalist of the hour recounting what the previous hour’s journalist reported.

To tell you the truth, the only thing that changes daily is the number of deaths in the US.  The rest of the news appears to be static.  The daily death count from shootings is fairly static. Social unrest persists as people use perceived discrimination as a reason to act out and destroy other individuals’ property and rights.  Police continue to get raked over the coals as mistakes get front page attention.  

I’m afraid that the “truth” is lost in all the media hype.  Truth is an interesting thing.  It used to be that you were innocent until proven guilty. Now you are tried in the news and proclaimed guilty no matter what the facts really are.  Unfortunately, rather than a prosecuting attorney investigating the charges and presenting the case to a judge and jury, the current day prosecutor is a lynch mob, toting signs, threatening riots and demanding justice.  It seems that “JUSTICE” is defined as giving the mob what they want regardless of what’s right.  It also seems that the mob is winning!

Last night, a journalist interviewed the mayor of a large city that had banned the use of tear gas.  When asked what the police were to use in the case of a riot, the mayor’s response was vague and meaningless.  As usual in the political world, the mayor side stepped the issue and started discussing the benefits of defunding the police and using that money to increase social programs in distressed neighborhoods.

Oh God, I just realized that I’m acting like a journalist, offering opinion without truly knowing all the facts!  Let me stop here and tell you the truth.  The truth is, I don’t know what the truth is!  “BREAKING NEWS!”  I’m sick and tired of the talking heads presenting their opinions as fact.  I’m sick and tired of watching modern day lynch mobs on TV demanding their “justice” before all the facts.  I am extremely disappointed in our government for bugling to mob action.  I’m also scared!

In my opinion, there are too many similarities to Nazi Germany.  As statues are defiled and removed and history is re-written, I am left wondering when the book burning will begin, and intellectuals will be rounded up and shot. 

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I feel much better.  Time to turn the TV off and go outside.

Here’s your song and joke.

A little British boy raises his hand to ask his teacher a question.

“Miss, My mother says freedom is the most beautiful thing in the world. What does freedom mean?”

The teacher, seeing the importance of this question for the sweet, innocent child, thinks quickly about how best to respond.

She smiles sweetly and says, “Why don’t you come up and tell the class what you think freedom is, dear”

The little boy comes up to the front of the class and the teacher hands him a big thick dictionary of English.

“Go on, dear, find us the definition of freedom.”

The boy arrives at the section for F and finds the definition.

“Freedom means doing whatever you want whenever you feel like it with total disregard for others no matter the consequences it has for the people around you or the destruction it causes. Freedom is the broken record answer you give to end every reasonable argument where someone tries to get you to do something you don’t feel like doing.”

The teacher is shocked. The class looks up stunned and confused and the little boy bows his head in disappointment, tears filling his eyes.

About to console the little boy, the teacher notices the cover of the dictionary and beams a bright smile.

“Don’t worry, class!” she rejoices.

“That one is American English.”