American Public Interest

Heath Ledger died today. This is a very tragic event for the family and I share my condolences. However, why is it the only thing on the news for the last 4 hours? I understand that he was pop icon in American pop culture, but is it a more news worthy event than the war or the election? Don't get me wrong I follow pop culture as much as the next person but it bothers me that every news personality is discussing this as if it was the only thing that happened today. I saw in a very little box on cnn.com today that 29,000 individuals have been wounded and 3,900 have DIED in Iraq. There have been 3,900 families that have been affected by the war. That is 7,800 moms and dads that have lost a son or daughter. That is 3,900 potential moms and dads that have children that will grow up without parents. I think even myself sometimes I get carried away. I admit I am a sportsaholic. I spend so much of my day worrying about what the hogs are going to do or whether or not a player is going to commit to play for the hogs. I seem to forget about what is going on in the real world. I live in a little box. If it didn't happen in NWA I don't think it is happening. We in the USA today aren't able to grasp the fact that we are at war. Whether or not you agree with the war and what we are doing you are forced to realize that families are being torn apart by the war. I think we have this view of war that we see on tv and we don't realize what is really going on. Do you think about it when you are shopping at Wal-Mart or spending time on your couch watching a tv show? Do you think about the fact that somebody’s father, mother, son or daughter is dodging rpgs and avoiding road mines? I haven't really thought about it much until the other day when an old college friend said he was leaving for Iraq. While I am watching the hogs play and enjoying my day he will be flying bombers over Iraq. When the war first started the networks ran a piece everyday that showed what soldier died today and where he is from. Maybe I have become numb to the fact that it is happening or maybe the networks have quit doing it. I don't see the networks spending 4 hours talking about every soldier that dies. It just is bugging me today that CNN puts this out there for everybody to see but nobody will see it because a pop icon died. I do feel sorry for Heath Ledger's family along with every other person who will sit and watch for hours about him and his life. I just wonder if there are as many people out there that feel sorry for families torn by war.