THE NEWS IS UNWATCHABLE

     I did not watch the evening news for years after November, 2016.  In the wake of the “shocking” election result, I asked myself, “Why watch pundits and experts pontificate when it is obvious none of them know anything?”  I also could not stomach the focus on the malignant monster of Mar-a-Lago – not his laughable tan and hair, not his whiny voice, and not his pock-marked skin stretched over the omni-present Mussolini-like jutting jaw.

     I enjoyed the extra thirty minutes added to my evenings.  I didn’t miss the other stories either — the daily drone of weather or traffic disasters, official corruption and the treacly “happy” story designed to tug at the focus group-designed version of heartstrings.

     In January of 2021, however, I dipped my toe back in to televised news.  I was seduced by Jenn Psaki, Biden’s first press secretary, who exuded calm and competence.  After what went before, to call her performances “a breath of fresh air” understates my reaction.  I remained wary of network evening news, however, and watched PBS.  At least Judy Woodruff didn’t focus solely on the scandal du jour, tRump, or the daily once-in-a-century weather crisis; in a masochistic way, I prefer soporific dives into policy.

     Imagine my dismay, last week, when I failed to resist NBC’s broadcast on what I thought would be a memorable news day.  Three stories dominated:  once again, the omnipresent Orange Menace, this time for a federal indictment; the east coast choking on wildfire smoke; and, Natalee Holloway’s alleged killer being extradited from Peru to the US.

     As to the first, why is ANYONE wasting time and energy following the “story” of his indictment?  Here is how the situation is going to be resolve:  the cretinous tRump-appointed judge will let him stall the proceedings until after the 2024 election.  Then, either he will fail to be “president” again, in which case he is a spent political force, once and for all; or, he will be declared “president,” in which case he will pardon himself.  If some other Republican is inaugurated, they will pardon him.  There are no other choices.  No matter what, an 80-year-old “first-time offender,” who just happens to be a former “president” will not be jailed, no matter how satisfying that might be.  End of story.  Do not spend another moment on the subject.  Period.

     The second story was unhealthy air for tens of millions of North Americans due to wildfires.  Lester Holt related this as a weather story.  A bad situation, yes, but one that will resolve in several days.  Just a matter of a shift of the wind….  This maddens me.  Out-of-control wildfires in the wilds of Canada before the official “fire season” has even begun is a hugely important story.  It should be presented like Pearl Harbor for the whole world, as though Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy were insufficient to make the point.  

     Government, industry and, yes INDIVIDUALS need to own this situation.  Make changes, make sacrifices (sorry to be un-American) and deal with this.  Don’t blame China and India.  If the US leads, they will follow.  Studies show, to my shock, that no, people do not “care” much about the world they will leave their grandchildren.  If something is not “relevant” to a short time frame, the human tendency to discount the future is huge.  Likewise, our politicians only think in terms of two, four or six years.  But these fires and their smoke are happening NOW, affecting US, not only our grandchildren, though they will certainly be a large part of their lives.  This story cannot wait!  This story should dominate every day!  Did Lester Holt say that?  No, because he had to cut to the breaking developments in the crucially important story of, wait for it…. Natalee Holloway!

     Yes, valuable broadcast minutes were allotted to the sordid tale of a 2005 murder because Peru finally agreed to extradite the likely perpetrator to face “justice.”  Would this be a story if Natalee Holloway had not been blond and blue-eyed?  Of course not.  Every day, an average of 120 Americans die from gun violence.  However, that story is never told except in fits and starts, whenever there is a mass murder or the killing of photogenic college students.

     I feel sorry for Natalee and for her loved ones.  A terrible thing happened to her.  But her story is not NEWS.  And the “justice” to be meted out to her sociopathic-looking killer is unnecessary in this instance because he is already serving a 28-year sentence in a Peruvian prison for a murder he committed in Lima.  Why not let him continue to rot there?  Perhaps he could be placed in a cell with a few cartel members who are informed he’s a sexual predator.  That would elicit justice.

     Instead, we will spend millions of taxpayer dollars to transport him to the United States and trudge him through our turgid “justice” system.  Thereafter, we will spend millions more dollars to jail him in conditions probably much-improved over whatever he is experiencing in Peru!

     That’s it.  I’m done with network news again.  Perhaps I will succumb to temptation in 2025 if our democratic system survives 2024 and if the air in front of my own eyes doesn’t already tell me everything I need to know about the condition and future of mankind.

                                                            Signed,

                                                            A Curmudgeon who is Losing his Patience