Ain't That America (David Glenn Cox)

David Glenn Cox -- World News Trust

Jan. 12, 2011 -- I've heard through the grapevine that the media feeding frenzy is in full swing.

The shooting. The shooting!

The shooting. But the shooting is only considered important because of the caliber of the victims. This is the most violent country on Earth! We shoot and maim and kill each other with reckless abandon. Hardly a day goes by without some innocent child being gunned down in a hail of bullets between rival gangs fighting over something utterly pointless.

I have read that the suspect, Jared Loughner is a racist, truther, birther, white supremacist, 911 conspiracy theorist and an anti-semite. That's quite a lot to carry for a 22-year-old man. He'd been suspended from college because he has mental problems. In America, we don't believe in mental illness. We call each other crazy and call each others ideas insane, but when the insane act insane the mob screams, “He's faking it. Give em the chair!”

Yet for the media this is the perfect story, at the perfect time. The holidays are over, the elections are over as well. For the media this is a sleepy time, a time to put their feet up on the desk and wait for the Super Bowl. I read the other day that oil prices had risen due to a leak in the Alaska pipeline. I thought to myself, “Hmm, something bad happens and they make more money.” There is certainly little motivation to put on extra maintenance crews with that scenario operating.

The media profits the same way, whenever something bad happens such a hurricane, earthquake or political shooting and the media kick it up into high gear. The volume and variety of media outlets insure that all relevant facts will quickly be disseminated. Then each rival outlet will begin to reach and over-reach for less-relevant but more-incendiary facts. A Bloomberg reporter went to the Loughner's door and knocked, hoping for an interview with the family. Here is a shocker, they didn't answer the door.

This is America, this is who we are. Violent, prurient and obsessed with the sensational. The bigger the better, home of the Whopper and the double Whopper and even the triple Whopper. Anna Nicole Smith was important because... she had big tits, no talent and married an old geezer for his money. Not just money, but lots and lots of money. Her drug-fueled antics became a hit TV show, America loved it! Let some poor, homeless vet behave that way and the county will make room for him at the graybar hotel. Poor Paris Hilton cried until the psychologist recommended that she be sent home.

After the Columbine shootings high schools moved to ban... overcoats. Yes, it was that style of duster overcoat that was perceived to be a threat. Overcoats? Really? We've had 44 Presidents and more assassinations and attempts than can be counted. The English haven't lost a head of state in 400 years, the French in more than 200 years. They did try to kill Charles DeGaulle, but that is the exception and not the rule.

Between 1963 and 1972 Malcolm X was gunned down, John Kennedy was gunned down, Bobby Kennedy was gunned down, Martin Luther King was gunned down and George Wallace was shot and crippled. We also lost more than 58,000 less well known Americans in Vietnam. So as the media recites its mantras of conspiracy theorist, birther and anti-semite ask yourself, is that really relevant? Is the media reporting the news responsibly or are they feeding the frenzy to make more money? Why don't they touch on the issues of why this country is so inherently violent? Murder and mayhem is the American way!

The other day the Iranian news agency reported that Iranian forces had shot down two drone aircraft invading its air space. The story was picked up by the Associated Press. Now who would send drone aircraft into Iranian air space? What would be the American response to Iranian drone aircraft over U.S. territory? Against my better judgement I began to read comments to the story as posted by the lunatic fringe.

“Just keep it up Iran! Why if this country had a President who wasn't a pussy, we'd nuke you back to the stone age!”

How can you explain such a response? We invade Iranian airspace and this individual is ready to use nuclear weapons? This is why I try to avoid reading these comments, it will make you lose faith in this country. The temptation was too great, so I asked this individual. “What is it, that makes you want to use nuclear weapons to kill tens of thousands of innocent civilians? Are you mentally defective? Do you lack the ability for critical thinking?”

Of course, I received no reply, but in retrospect he's just an American. Shoot first, ask questions later, kill em all, let God sort them out. The only good Indian is a dead Indian and better dead than red. We must meet our sales targets and make a killing in the market. We slaughtered the other team and then we went out to the bar and got bombed! We still have the nuclear option in business and we'll use it, because that guy's off the reservation.

Sensation über alles, Money, drugs, sex and violence. Twenty-first century feminism in America means female actresses can now play roles once reserved for Clint Eastwood or Arnold Schwarzenegger. Of course, she must still play them in skin-tight leather outfits because that's America.

Meanwhile back on a little place called Reality Street, there was some other news which was not nearly so sensational. News that carried an ominous tone and will have serious repercussions for us all.

“The unemployment rate fell 0.4 percentage point to 9.4 percent in December, and nonfarm payroll employment increased by 103,000," the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

.“Among the marginally attached, there were 1.3 million discouraged workers in December, an increase of 389,000 from December 2009."

December is supposed to be the largest retail sales month of the year and employment rises nationwide by only 103,000? Almost four hundred thousand added to long term unemployment year over year?

“Unemployment rates were higher in November than a year earlier in 182 of the 372 metropolitan areas, lower in 166 areas, and unchanged in 24 areas. ”

Where was unemployment lower? Bismarck North Dakota at 3.3 percent, Lincoln Nebraska at 3.5 percent and Grand Forks North Dakota at 3.7 percent.

Where was unemployment higher year over year? El Centro California 29.1 Percent, Yuma Arizona at 24.8 percent.

Thirteen major metropolitan areas admitted unemployment of more than 15 percent. But hey, in Bismarck the economy is looking good. Would you rather have a dime for everyone in Bismarck or a nickel for everyone in El Centro?

Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif., and Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla., all reported unemployment rates over 13 percent. Does this look like a recovery to you?

The real reason the government listed unemployment as down from 9.9 to 9.4 percent is that the numbers of unemployed who are dropping off the radar into the discouraged worker category.

“Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in November. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia recorded un-employment rate increases, 15 states registered rate decreases, and 14 states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.”

Well, this just isn't news worthy I suppose. What with guns and violence and sex and drugs. It's all appears really somewhat dry and boring doesn't it?

Leasing rates for 1,000-foot-long container ships dropped 34 percent to the lowest rate since 2002 when the Chinese economy was much smaller. The world economy is signaling that it is going into a stall, while at the same time U.S. budget cutters sharpen their knives to carve off workers. Just how many thousands of job losses do you suppose it will take to revive prosperity?

Illinois budget deficit: $15 billion

California budget deficit: $25.4 billion

Texas budget deficit: $25 billion

Nationwide, states face budget shortfalls of $142 billion with only $60 billion remaining in stimulus funds. When you add in total state,county and local municipalities debt the total rises to a staggering $10 trillion. Planet Hoover's minions have all ready made it clear that there is nothing left in the cupboard. So the budget-cutters will continue to cut workers. In Texas the budget shortfall has been caused by a drop in sales tax revenue the same as everywhere else. So cutting workers will in the long run lower sales tax revenues even further.

These problems are hard and expensive, there is no media angle or demographic window, unless of course you count the millions of Americans who struggle day after day. The numbers of unemployed continues to grow while the number receiving benefits continues to shrink. We are heading for critical mass, these are our people and death by poverty is every bit as tragic as a gunshot wound. Abandonment by government is every bit as sad as a motherless child.

We will always have crazy people in this country, perhaps insanity is in the water? Perhaps it is caused by economic disparity and the callousness that we show towards one another. Maybe it's crazy rhetoric and professional wrestling politics shouted into a thousands TV cameras. TV is America's mediator, who shot J.R.? Who is on ultimate fighter tonight or Real (fake) Housewives of Atlanta? The media is the murderer, the TV is part of the problem. If we had any sense in this country we would stop shooting each other and shoot our TV's.