Day 14354

With sincere apologies to those I may offend:

Well, I gotta admit I wish I had cable TV. Apparently, there was a pretty, um, current South Park on recently. It poked fun at the rediculous Political/Media circus that was, hopefully not still is, the Terri Schiavo ordeal. I know this sounds just terrible, but I would have enjoyed all the jokes made at the expense of the media and political parties. And isn't it amazing that a show that was founded on sophomoric humor has progressed into a meaningful examination of the American scoop du jour? This cartoon really mattered and I wish I had seen it.

I should probably fess up and admit that I really didn't follow this case/spectacle while it was going on. The local newspapers made sure of that. See, the local papers quickly stopped utilizing photos of a vegetative Terri and replaced them with photos of her in a pre-vegetative state on their front pages. It's safe to say that the latter was a more flattering photo of her. People are attracted to attractive people. People also are more likely to purchase a periodical with an attractive person on the cover. Doubt this? Ever hear of Maxim, Stuff, or Playboy/Playgirl magazines? You know what's on the covers.

My disgust with the local papers purposely trying to use this soul as bait for increased sales kept me away from the circus. I finally found out what had happened after a lady, who I respect and who periodically flatters me by reading this blog, posted a comment on a forum on Radio Paradise. If someone of her wisdom would take the time to comment on the subject, I felt it was worth investigating.

I found it fascinating in a Dallas kind of way. Political power plays, religious dogma, extra-marital affairs, greed, eating disorders, biased reporting, 15 minutes of fame, it was all there. No wonder the nation and especially it's "news" outlets were so caught up in it. I mean, come on, you know it's going to make an excellent movie some day!

So, like I said, wish I had seen that episode of South Park, which will probably be the only constructive criticism of the whole ordeal. Well, maybe The Daily Show with Jon Stewart will address this as well. (Again, another show on cable TV.) If you haven't figured it out yet, I simply love when the rediculous gets ridiculed!

Anyway, I wish to again apologize to those I may have offended. I am well aware that a soul left this earth, whether you think it happened a day ago or 15 years ago. I'm also cognisant of the fact that in the end her body was ironically starved to death instead of mercifully injected with a concoction designed to quickly end her beating heart. This ordeal was sad, not just because of the profit-induced frenzy of words and pictures, but more importantly, because another human life came to an end. Wonder if anyone counting the beans in the info-tainment industry or keeping score in politics will finally acknowledge their gains came at the expense of Ms. Schiavo's life, or dignity, or her loved ones, or whatever you believe. My guess is they won't take the time - somewhere, something else is brewing up. After all, tomorrow is another day.