Tuesday, January 11, 2011

I Hate the Media

In the spring of 2007, Anna Nichole Smith died. I did some cursory research and concluded that she was only famous because she got naked for a magazine and married an elderly rich man.

The news didn't shut up about her for weeks.

In the spring of 2007, Captain Walter Schirra died. Wally Schirra was a Naval aviator, a test pilot, and chosen to be part of Astronaut Group 1, the Mercury Seven. Wally Schirra was the fifth American in space, commanded Gemini 6 and, by commanding Apollo 7, became the first person to fly in space three times and the only man to fly in projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Wally Schirra was an American hero and I didn't find out about his death until weeks after it happened.

Michael Jackson died in the summer of 2009 and the media wouldn't shut the hell up about him for months. All he ever did was sing some songs and touch some little boys.

Last week, Major Richard Winters passed away. Dick Winters is best known for commanding Company E, 2/506 PIR, 101st Airborne from the invasion of Normandy until just after Operation Market Garden, then becoming battalion XO and eventually battalion commander.

Dick Winters saved the world. But you'd have been lucky if you accidentally stumbled into the news of his passing.