The Voyeur Media that excites us.

Sometimes irony seeps onto the canvas of life like a misplaced brush stroke. More often however, I've found it appears like on one of those modern paintings where "the artist" simply throws the whole bucket of paint up there - huge bright splashes of ironic yellow, blue or red! This is one of those canvases.

It's been a couple of months anyway since this "non-case" was finally adjudicated down in DC. Most of you have probably already forgotten it. It burned as brightly as a magnesium flare for a few weeks and then "ppfffttt!" Like so many things in our media induced culture these days it flared out, "here today - gone tomorrow."

A quick "detour" if you'd allow me..... During this holiday of "thankfulness" think about the major stories of 2007. Those that stick in your mind most prominently. Personally, I think the media deserves our distain for sensationalizing some horrible tragedies during the year which they shouldn't have. Here's just one example that every channel should be particularly ashamed of....how many nights, during how many weeks, over how many months, were we continually subjected to the Anna Nicole Smith story? Prior to her own death we were mourners during the burial of her son - then it was her death from a drug overdose - then it was the custody battle over her infant daughter - now the media is saying the two men who fought over the little girl...were sexually involved! Eewwww!!

One of my biggest bitches these days is that the national news media - in all its many forms and outlets - is falling all over itself in their bid to turn us all into voyeurs. The "Old French" definition of the word meant,"one who lies in wait to see" and while that definition correctly described many of the writers, photographers, and photo-journalists in the news industry - in the past it didn't define us. Unfortunately because we began to relish the "inside story" so much sometime during the early 70's, the media has now invaded parts of society that previously were "off limits" & "out of bounds" to them. Because of our "need" for the prurient - the media has re-defined the word voyeur to mean, "an obsessive observer of sordid or sensational subjects." Don't take my word for it, Look it up! Here's one link; http://www.thefreedictionary.com/voyeur Well, that's us in spades! So I guess between Anna Nicole, Nicole Ritchie, Brittany, Barry Bonds, or Valerie Plame we only get what we deserve.

Sorry for that detour.....where was I, oh yeah, "irony."

• How ironic is it that Scooter Libby was convicted of "obstruction of justice" in the Valerie Plame case, while the person who actually "leaked" this publicity-hound's name to the PRESS, former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, is walking around without a care in the world!
  
• How ironic is it that Scooter Libby was indicted AFTER Armitage admitted that he might have been the inadvertent name leaker?
  
• How can you be "under-cover" when you "over-expose" yourself in the public eye?
  
• Hmmmm, ironic that Scooter Libby sits convicted for outing a "covert CIA operative," while the same undercover operative and her camera-hungry husband lead anything but a covert lifestyle! The couple is photographed frequently "tooling" around Virginia and DC to posh restaurants, lavish social parties & political gatherings where everyone knows who she is, what she does, and who she works for! This is covert?
  
• [IMHO, former diplomat Joseph Charles Wilson IV has never done - nor wanted to do - anything clandestine or covert in his life! The words, clandestine and covert do not enter into the vocabulary of anyone affiliated with the Diplomatic Corp! These folks are about as adverse to the public spotlight as Senator Chuck Schumer is! In addition, anyone walking around life with a Roman numeral four after their name, is pretentious enough to want pictures of himself and his "arm candy" taken at every opportunity.]
  
• Meanwhile after all this has transpired..........Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson continue to whine that the White House outed her - Valerie Plame continues to whine that her career and "her security" have been taken away from her. Joe Wilson is currently "salving" his wounds as the Vice Chairman of Jarch Capital, LLC, a firm focused on gaining African natural resources. And Valerie has signed a multi-million dollar book deal to comfort her and clear her name!? Whine - whine - whine!!
  
• Scooter Libby has been disbarred and has already paid a $250,000 fine for obstructing justice. (President Bush commuted his 30 month prison sentence - thankfully).
  

Ironic huh? SPLASH!!!!!!

Dum Spiro Spero!