This morning I had to take my pick-up truck into the shop for some work and diagnostics. Diagnostics was once a word reserved for hospitals and now it applies to computer and other electronics repair and cars and trucks. Hook up the little plug deals on whatever is being diagnosed and a computer checks things out and next thing you know you have a new fuel pump, some new government mandated pollution filters and a bill for a thousand bucks. Modern life sure is grand. But I digress, as usual.
While I was in the waiting room at the car place I took a peek at the morning news show that was playing very loudly and distracting me from my “Field and Stream” magazine article about the top one hundred fishing lures of all time. It seems that this morning the talking heads were extremely excited about the weather, swine flu and Mr. Obama’s first hundred days. All three of those subjects seemed to be of equal importance if we were to rate them on how animated and thrilled the reporters were that delivered the news. A report on some new treatment for acne got a slightly higher excitement level but that may have been a commercial designed to look like a news report so I have to take away a few points for that.
The weather was exciting because it’s pretty hot out. At least two people in New York City died as a direct result of being confined to their non air conditioned apartments. One person was ninety two and the other was eighty nine. The landlords are being charged as co-conspirators with God (the weather maker) as the evil killers of those two unfortunate folks. Well I made that part up, but nowadays one can’t be too sure about anything. The reporter talking about the weather did say that things were going to cool down some soon. And he seemed a little disappointed. But he also got happier when he talked about some possible serious storms attached to a big cold front that might possibly be moving through the Midwest some time later in the week. It seems that greater the potential for disaster the happier the reporter.
The swine flu thing is a pretty big deal. A bunch of people in Mexico have died from the illness and it’s spreading all around the world. The UN is involved now which is probably making the virus very happy. Any time a UN agency, in this case the World Health Organization, gets involved in a problem you can bet that by the time the meetings set up to discuss the issue and some solutions, are finished with no definite outcome, the crisis will have passed. From what I could discern from the gleeful reporter this could be the next big pandemic. Millions could die. Whole cities could disappear in a massive wave of fever, vomiting and diarrhea. The US might, just might, have enough vaccine for about one sixth of the population. But only the neediest will get the shot. Neediness will be determined by how a person voted in the last presidential election and level of campaign contributions. Well maybe not. Actually the vaccine would be distributed first to the weakest and sickest in the population. That way there won’t be any thinning of the welfare and public assistance rolls. Am I sounding too cynical here? Yes, and I hate myself for that.
Moving on, the next big news story was about how Mr. Obama’s first one hundred days as president has been rated. The reporter and reporterette covering this story took on a smiling and reverent tone as they assured the whole country that every thing is going just fine and dandy. They showed pictures of the Great One and his wife just smiling like empty headed movie stars in many, many settings. There were a few photos of Our Leader with a serious frown when he was addressing groups of CEOs and banking executives. I think I caught a glimpse of bags of cash being pushed under the tables in those shots but I might have been wrong. Overall, according to those news people, the new president has outstanding ratings, is accomplishing great and wondrous things and has set the nation on the road to recovery. And if wasn’t for a paltry few million ignorant redneck folks who don’t really matter, who have publicly disagreed with him on most every issue, he would have the support of the whole population. These reporting people were obviously intelligent and enlightened beings who are totally behind the new president and his gang. I meant to say his administration. By the way have you noticed some of the total morons that Obama has appointed to all the new “czar” positions? Take a few minutes to check out those people and their records and public statements. It’s some amazing stuff.
Anyway, I was rescued from any further news by the mechanic guy who brought me my bad news and my bill. But his news was better than the crap I was getting from that TV on the wall.
Have a fine day.
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