Saturday Musings

I was catching up with the local newspaper stories in the Houston Chronicle this morning. The headlines are a good indicator of what they, the publishers of the paper, want us to read about; call it an “Interesting set of Priorities”.

“A Vigil by the Masses”, did cover an item that most would find interesting and important with coverage of the Pope’s failing health. Along side of that on the front page, “A senator fires back at Delay remarks”, “Democrat says statements about the Schiavo case were threats that violated the law”, were also in large bold print. On page four; obviously not a front page headline, “Berger admits destroying materials”.

I’m not a Catholic, all the same I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the leader of that church. Pope John Paul II has given solid advice regarding the standards by which to live, never backing down on his principles regardless of how the secular world considered much his wise council to be relics of the past. While this man’s body is in the last stages of mortality he deserves the respect accorded any head of state; one who has lived an honorable life.

Moving on to the second earth shattering headline I read where Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey has claimed that Sen. Tom Delay from Texas, “broke the law when he assailed federal judges involved in the Terri Shiavo case”, alleging that “Threats against specific federal judges are not only a serious crime, but also beneath a member of congress.” I read further down into the article where the damning evidence was there for all to see. Here are the horrible and criminal thoughts expressed by Sen. Delay, “The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior…look at an unaccountable, arrogant, out-of-control judiciary that thumbed their noses at Congress and the President.” Some how that just doesn’t come across as a threat; now, had Tom Delay brandished a gun, or even worse, held up a Bible as his intimidation weapon; well, then we would have had the Waskally Wabbit.

Turning to page four is a small piece to explain that contempt that Sandy Berger has for the integrity and security of the United States of America. Former National Security Advisor under President Clinton, had been caught taking classified documents out of the National Archives by stuffing them down inside his pants; however, this milk toast version of the “facts” had those documents inside his suit. Berger did finally admit that it was not an “honest mistake” as he had been claiming; right up until he plead guilty to “unauthorized removal and retention of classified material”, a misdemeanor; escaping the felony charge that could have, and probably should have been filed against him. He will be fined $ 10,000 and prohibited from entering a federal building where secure documents are housed. The short piece glossed over the part where Berger had destroyed certain documents by shredding them out of existence. I would love to hear Martha Stuart take on this; how long was it that she “couldn’t leave a federal building, prison?” Let me take that one more step, how about the folks at Enron and Arthur Anderson? Wasn’t there a flap over the destruction of documents to thwart some kind of an investigation?

I got one of those “mock” Sprint Cell Phone ads in my email a while back making fun of the whole Enron/Arthur Anderson mess. There was a picture of the familiar “Sprint Phone Guy” holding the cell phone out to explain: The Arthur Anderson Partner was on his cell phone when he said, “Ship the Enron documents to the Feds.”, but his secretary heard, “Rip the Enron documents to shreds”. Turns out it was just a bad case of cellular. (I will post it.; Correction, Have posted it in Stern's Stories because I couldn't get Picaso/Blooger to post here- my shoulders are shrugged and my hands are in the air, palms up.)

Now as I sit back and read my Houston Chronicle it turns out that it’s just a bad case of headline priorities. The relative importance of any story has nothing to do with facts or real value as a news item; it has everything to do with skewering your opponents and protecting those who least deserve that protection. It’s a good thing my wife gets all those coupons out of your newspaper or you’d have one less customer. I wouldn’t use your newspaper to line the bottom of my parrot’s cage; he might start repeating this garbage and next thing you know he’d be a senator from New Jersey.