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7 JUN 04: D-UH DAY?
The weekend e-mail brought this complaint - but thankfully, NOT directly aimed at me for a change:
Richard,
I find it downright disgraceful not ONE of our local TV stations showed up with a camera Thursday night for a parting shot of Fort Benning's 507th leaving for the historic jump into Normandy. The paratroopers jump this weekend is the first time in 60 years the group and members of the original 507th returned to France. I've watched the History Channel and PBS highlight the heroics of the 507th during D-Day and days after all week long. Hours of emotional, gripping stories from soliders in our own backyard. OF course, the tv stations are notorious for reading the front page of the Ledger and then acting as though their lead at 6 is some sort of revelation on their part. Do your homework . What the hell ever happened to covering beats? What's WTVM and FOX54's slogan "More=Less"???
Pathetic! The only reason I watch local TV news is to get a good laugh. (before I puke)
Blog That!
Robbie Watson
Don't we all appreciate receiving this sort of (ahem) constructive criticism about our work?
To be honest, I don't know why local TV stations did not attend the departure of the 507th for the D-Day anniversary. Maybe they're waiting for the military veterans to come home - because the stories of surviving that jump will be much more interesting.
(Come to think of it, did any RADIO stations attend the departure of the 507th? I didn't hear it on a couple of stations - but I didn't listen to G.P.B. Friday morning....)
Sometimes Fort Benning restricts any access to post for TV news crews. Presumably this is for the journalists' safety - for instance, so graduates of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation don't attack them for showing protesters.
It's nice to know some area soldiers were able to attend Sunday's events marking the 60th anniversary of D-Day. After all, Lonnie Jackson never set up a commemoration on Buena Vista Road for it -- apparently because he's been busy trying to find tutors to teach it to children.
My church Pastor gave an impassioned short talk about the anniversary over the weekend. He predicted a future generation will face its own similar D-Day, because it will forget the lessons of 1944. So when do you think the History Channel will go out of business?
My pastor deeply believes the post-World War II generations will forget the lessons of 20th-century history to their peril. The way his church denomination tends to interpret prophecy, he might not mind if President Bush ordered a pre-emptive strike against France and Germany right now.
Oh yes, as for the idea of "more = less" - isn't that the whole concept behind Wal-Mart SuperCenters? I'm still boycotting them....
Now for other items which might give you cheer, after a sobering weekend:
+ A Columbus police car rolled by me as I took a Sunday evening walk around South Commons - and it did so on the sidewalk, driving around Golden Park to Broadway. So some of the city maps are still right! You CAN drive through there....
+ The manager of the Boom Boom Room admitted he's considering shutting down the nightclub - but added he WON'T do it simply because petitions are circulating against it. There's a man who's learned from Sheriff Ralph Johnson's example.
+ RaceTrac on Victory Drive again took the lead in the summer soda discount race. It's offering 32-ounce fountain drinks for only 49 cents! Trouble is, this computes to $1.96 per gallon - and I'm still afraid the gas price will go up to match it.
+ Instant Message to the Columbus Catfish: Why do you have posters on the box office windows at Golden Park promoting Pigeon Forge, Tennessee? Is this your latest hint about possibly moving out of town?
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