War as Life

"We don't get it. We truly can't imagine what it was like. We can't imagine how dreadful, how terrifying war is, and how normal it becomes. Can't understand, can't imagine. That's what every soldier, and every journalist and aid worker and independent observer who has put in time under fire, and had the luck to elude the death that struck down others nearby, stubbornly feels."
-Susan Sontag

Not News

Senator Hillary Clinton narrowly won the New Hampshire primaries.

President George W. Bush began a Mid-East tour.

Violence is ripping apart the once peaceful country of Kenya.

White women across America are being kidnapped and butchered.

This is not a blog post about what should and shouldn't be considered newsworthy. I am one of those who believes that a couple of fluff pieces in a sea of death and politics and war can help to boost the morale of those who would become jaded by the dark world we live in. I think reading about the exploits of the rich and famous can relax someone's mind when in the middle of trying to decide what to do to help their working class family, help their country, help their community...

...but can we please heed the little Southern boy's cry and leave Britney alone? I am admittedly part of the problem. I have enjoyed watching the train wreck that is her life. But isn't it a bit disgusting the way we will exploit human beings (the way I am doing even now by blogging about her) who are the in the midst of great emotional and mental turmoil? And we write apologetics for it, justify it, "She's begging for the attention" or "Well, that's the price you pay for fame." It's one thing to have a little less privacy and another to have your problems fueled and intensified, scrutinized by the egging-ons of a world watching from the comfort of their own homes, thumbs pointed downward, waiting for you to finally meet your bloody end.

No, she is not innocent...but her children are. Maybe if we stop paying attention to her, she can start paying attention to the things that matter most.

Memo: In Sweeping Policy Change, AP Alerts Staff Britney Is Now 'A Big Deal

More Bhutto

A great post from Jezebel:

• Musharraf On Bhutto: "I May Be A Dictator, But She Was Like An African Dictator..."
  • For someone who wants to be military dictator for life and cried when he had to take off the uniform, that's a pretty pot-kettle kind of statement. Does that mean he's really just following in her footsteps?
  • I also recommend reading all of the links within the post.

Goodbye to Bhutto

This morning CNN.com greeted me with blaring headlines about the death of Benazir Bhutto and my jumbled thoughts were something to the effect of: "Holy shit! I know who she is. Oh, no. This is bad. This is very bad."

I'm not going to waste time giving my view of things. I am unqualified to do so and still a little too shaken up. Also shaken up by the fact that I know enough to be shaken up. Apathy is so much easier. I don't quite know when or how the ripples of this tidal wave are going to reach my doorstep, or if the effects will even be as severe as some predict, but I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge this troubled day.