Wednesday, September 19, 2007

skip the oj for breakfast

Gracie, our youngest Schnauzer, woke me up early this morning and I turned on the television as I was trying to gain consciousness just as all three morning shows were cranking up. The lead story on all of them was about O. J. Simpson. In fact, over half of the first thirty minutes of Today was about him. I kept watching, thinking they would actually tell me what was happening in the world sooner or later. No such luck.

I don't care how much they talk about him, it's not news.

Things are happening and they are things we don't hear about, such as these stories I found on several international news outlets. These things actually matter and yet our media choose not to tell us much, if anything at all.

The situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate. For all the supportive rhetoric that has come from Western governments, the genocide continues.

The Israeli government has declared Gaza a "hostile area," which could lead to Israel cutting off electricity and water to the region.

Severe floods all across Africa
have devastated several countries, leaving many homeless, cut off, and threatened by disease.

There are also important things happening in Burma, Indonesia,
Cambodia, Nepal, and India.

How can we consider ourselves, as a nation, to be the world leader when we have no idea what is going on?

Peace,
Milton

5 comments:

anj said...

yes, what you said.

Lori said...

Amen and Amen. What you said.

Diane M. Roth said...

amen. and skip the oj, too. "bread and circuses" is what it reminds me of

Anonymous said...

I got nothin', except to wonder, how many people (not politicians) really care about the outside world. TV feeds us what they think we want, so we get OJ stories and NFL videotape scandals and all the rest of it.

I just don't know how many people ever wonder about what is going on outside their own immediate environment. They're all wearing earbuds, so it's hard to tell.

Good post, Milton. I love your perspective.

Rick Hamrick said...

Milton, I was inspired upon reading this post to advise the very same thing I repeat to myself at least ten times daily: be the change.

As individuals, there is little we can do for Darfur (don't even get me started on OJ) or the other crises of the day.

So, we do what we can. We do as you do, and offer up what we can to those in our own communities. We seek, in our own ways, to make a difference.

It doesn't have to be majestic or amazing. What it can be, though, is millions making their way to small changes. I would say, "we can do it!" but we already are.

Thanks for your work, Milton.