Peace and Privacy

I have had my dealings with the local news. In 1997, when our home burned down and Briana died and in 2001 when Rachel's son was murdered, it was considered "newsworthy" by our city newspaper and by the news stations. And so in both instances they reported the story and hung around for a little longer than I thought absolutely necessary trying to wring every last ounce of grief that we had out of us for public consumption. It got to the point that we did not even want to leave the house for a couple of weeks for fear of someone asking us "how are you feeling?" with a camera in our face. Some things need to be dealt with in private.

As I read the reports about the miners in West Virginia, my heart goes out to them. I refuse to watch the coverage on the television because I think that most of it is nothing more than an attempt to sensationalize this as much as possible. If I were to see these people go from exhiliration to anguish one more time, I think I may have to wring a newscaster's neck. Some things need to be dealt with in private.

I understand the need for news. I understand that people need to know what is going on in this country and in this world. I understand that most people have an insatiable curiousity about other people's lives. That is all perfectly normal. However, when it comes to a situation as tragic as this one, I think that these people who have suffered such a horrible loss should be left alone for a while. They need a moment to deal with what has happened within themselves before they are expected to deal with it in front of the entire nation. This is not a puppet show....this is real life, real tragedy, real grief. These are real people, not actors in some sort of twisted reality show. Some things need to be dealt with in private.

The families of these miners have my fervent prayers. But CNN, Fox News, etc., etc. will not have my support as long as they continue to engage in this type of yellow journalism. Please, guys, take it off the loop and give these people the peace and privacy that they are desperately in need of.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Peace alllll..........