Scaring Myself

Yesterday I just flat out scared the living bejesus out of myself.  It will be a day I remember for the earth shaking relevance of a truly momentous occasion.  The event – I actually admired Hillary Clinton for a brief moment.  I have a well-known and chronicled disdain for her husband – mainly dealing with failed potential and a complete lack of personal integrity.  I’ve always found her a tad bit less self-serving than her husband but not a lot.

It was a huge surprise when I heard her taking her most potent enablers – the press – to task yesterday.  She was quoted as saying:  “I think journalism has changed quite a bit in a way that is not good for the country and not good for journalism,” Clinton said, venting about her concern that a more ratings-driven approach to television has led to theatrics over facts. “A lot of serious news reporting has become more entertainment-driven and more opinion-driven, as opposed to factual. People book onto the shows political figures, commentators who will be controversial, who will be provocative, because it’s a good show. You may not learn anything, but you might be entertained.”

Bravo Hillary, I couldn’t agree with you more on this.  Do yourself a favor tonight and watch any national nightly news show and grade out the news as follows:  how much is fact based and how much is opinion/conjecture or entertainment/celebrity focused.  There used to be a journalistic culture that prided itself on the reporting the news which is completely missing in the biased and managed “news” we are presented with today.  It’s pretty sad when one of the lead stories on a national news program is that a spoiled Canadian “singer” ( and I do use the term lightly) was detained at LAX for additional screening.   

As for Ms. Clinton, I just wish it signaled more than a transparent attempt at saying something that will ring true with the vast percentage of Americans while still not distancing herself too far from the cloying press she receives and revels in.  She follows the well-worn Clinton credo of telling us what she thinks we want to hear versus what she really thinks.  I find myself hoping against hope she embraces the role of grandmother over president because the country needs leadership and not another phase of Clinton gridlock.

Back at home yesterday I adroitly finished off my Mother’s Day shopping despite a full work day and no Amazon time whatsoever.  The secret to my success – I was not involved in it whatsoever.  My wife went on a shopping road trip to Eastern Massachusetts with other members of the Panamanian mafia.  I was just settling in to watch the Bruins playoff game last night when she returned and announced I had been a complete success in getting her exactly what she wanted for Mother’s Day.  I nodded sagely at Buddy.

The beard seems to be performing it’s hoped for magic as the Bruins rallied for a stirring overtime win in Detroit. You could actually see the smaller, faster Red Wings wilt under the size and strength of the Bruins after a couple periods.  It also raises an important point – how the hell did we ever watch televised hockey before High Def?  As for the Sox – too painful to even consider recounting – I think it appropriate for them to defect to Canada at this point.  But hey – it is, (wait for it) – THE FIRST FRIDAY OF THE WEEK!!!