While Wendy and I were eating breakfast this morning, we flipped the television on and went to the news channel. For weeks now, it has been non-stop Hurricane footage. I don’t want to sound callous or anything, but I can only take so much footage of houses blown to pieces by the wind, I got the idea a long time ago… it’s terrible. Our damn media just beats these kinds of stories to death!
Anyhoo, I started flipping through the stations and something on the Science Channel caught our eye. The program was about the importance of the moon to our planet. Most of it was very informative but then they got to the part regarding how the moon came to “Be”.
They go into this very detailed explanation of how “Alpha-1” Rock collided with “Theta-z” Rock… rebounded off “Gamma-Delta” and wow… Instant moon! I generally don’t have a problem with theories and hypothesis as long as it’s presented as such. This sh…tuff however, was being presented as fact.
We know that Dinosaurs once existed because we have some bones we dig up on occasion and assemble like a jigsaw puzzle. Darwin had a Theory of Evolution that you may or may not agree with but at least he had some empirical evidence to support his hypothesis. Einstein had a Theory of Relativity backed up by some good data and Christopher Columbus proved his theory by circum-navigating the globe.
I wanna know how folks can talk in a matter of fact way about an event that may or may not have happened billions of years ago. Why would anyone try to even venture a guess?
I went to a seminar once regarding this theme of our origins.
The speaker just kept asking, “were you there?”
In fact, they had t-shirts for sale with “Were You There?” and a cute graphic along with it. I bought one for my son.
It’s a very good question. Science used to be defined with what you could observe and analyze by what you observe. Science used to have a method. Science used to be something tested and retested. Now it seems that theories are enough to present to our school children and what you see in books and tv as fact.
I give credit to anyone not swallowing it all and desires to find truth using more than our media and ‘scientists’ with agendas.
Why doesn’t the Gulf Coast tragedy go away? Because the Gulf Coast has to be rebuilt. It simply has to.
The Gulf is a major source of oil for the US and we must keep Gulf Coast oil wells and pumping. The refineries along the coast must be kept in business. No need for an explaination there.
The Gulf Coast is also home to major shipping ports not the least of which is the Port of New Orleans. Tons of food produced in the Midwest are shipped down the tributaries to the Mississippi and to New Orleans. It’s a cheap viable means of distribution of goods to the rest of this country and the world markets. Gotta rebuild the ports.
The fishing and shrimp industry along the Gulf Coast brings in a major part of the seafood you eat. When the Gulf shrimp are found to be uneatable because of the toxins that poured into the gulf during the two storms, just see how shrimp prices will go up!
The Gulf Coast is home port to many of our strategic military bases. Again, no need to explain why they must be rebuilt.
Rebuilding the Gulf Coast and the industries located along the coast will cost billions of dollars. We don’t have the money. We will have to borrow money from China to cover the deficit that we already have.
The more money that Americans give to help in the reconstruction of the Gulf, the less we have to borrow. Why do you suppose the President goes to the Gulf every week? To keep the Gulf Coast in the news. Any president worth his salt would. He knows Americans have a short attention span and he wants everyone to remember and be behind the funding bills that he will have to have passed in Congress in order to rebuild the Gulf Coast.
It’s not the media that prolongs the coverage of the tragic Gulf Coast, it’s the government. Get used to it Mike, you’ll be hearing about the Gulf Coast for many years to come.
A lot of food for thought there Phydda, but I dunno, I might have to disagree with you on the media issue. Since when has the media ever cooperated with the Government for the ‘good of the Country’? Especially since it’s an Administration they generally despise.
I think they are in it for the “ratings”. It’s always about the money. They grab a story, sensationalize it, then run it into the ground. They did it with The Gulf War, O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson, Scott Peterson, etc… etc…
If what you are claiming were to be true. President Bush would be visiting Ground Zero daily because it sure seems like a good many of us have forgotten!
You miss the point MIke. Sure the media exploits many stories. No doubt about it. This is different.
Ground Zero is owned by corporations who will pay for the rebuilding and make a healthy proffit from renting space in the resulting buildings.
I’m talking about rebuilding a whole region with primary businesses, secondary businesses, the neighborhoods for the people who will work in those businesses and the infastructure necessary to serve the businesses and workers. Huge $$$$$$ that will have to come from the government.
Right now the police, fire and ambulance in New Orleans are working for free as the city has run out of $$$ and there are no taxes coming in to cover government and civil servant wages. Bush will have to raise taxes in order to pay for all the work that has to be done. When he does that he’ll want YOU on the same page that he is on. For all the reasons that I listed before, he has to have your backing.
The media understands the huge challenge too. This transends politics. You bet it’s about money. Your money and how the government will spend it. Like I said before, get used to hearing about the Gulf Coast. It won’t be over for a long time.