Off the Chart Outrage

Found myself yelling at the TV set this morning and vowing never to watch the Today show again.

My brother asked me last night if was watching the Rachel Maddow show and what I thought of the Shirley Sherrod case. And I had no idea what he was talking about. Shows you how far out of the Beltway I've come. But this morning, as I started to here her name on the morning shows, I made a mental note to call my brother and let him know what an outrage this is. But then, I had the pleasure of tuning in to Matt Lauer and the Today show. And was informed by Matt, that the issue isn't about a conservative blogger who started this or the conservative media/networks that ran with the story.

No, according to Matt - there was "no surprise" there. What was "shocking, shocking" was the Obama administration response. Shirley backed that one right up btw. No comparisons to former dictatorships that created fabricated news and outright lied about the facts - and a willing media that did nothing to show the truth. Many people knew this was a phony story - anyone following a simple WWWWW method could have stopped this. So the real story is - why didn't ANYONE stop it?

Not one mention of the race-baiting in this country from all sectors that's preventing a true and honest dialogue about race in America. Not one mention of what defines "news" today - and the obliterated lines between news and entertainment ratings. Or that the "blog first, facts second" mindset has enabled a public to be spoonfed and not raise a loud enough stink to make a difference.

Not once did I hear any mention of the conservative propoganda machine that created the out of context video that "proved" Sherrod was a racist. Nor of the scripted "outrage" that spewed from the Foxheads, Coulters and the rest of that ilk.

Not one mention of the media's culpability in how these stories play out and the lingering effect on individuals and the public. God save us from all media - I'm hopeful just ONE of them will do their fucking job. Oh wait - Jon Stewart's on vacation. Sigh.

Don't get me wrong. The Obama Admin should take its lumps - more like wrist slaps actually. But Wonkette said it best: Poopheads all around.