On The Road Again

I got my Coppi back. I got my road bike back! I am clipped in and... well riding slow as molasses. Problem is that the cleats are starting to wear down so clipping in is getting tricky and the roads are slick.

I walked the Coppi across Queen Street this morning (lots of snow at the intersection) and sort of stopped at a perpendicular to the flow of traffic in the right lane while I mounted up. No problem, no cars at all in the left lane and no cars for quite a ways back in the right. Just as I finish mounting up, some jerk in a black CRV just mashes down the horn as they drive by, if I could have clipped in faster, or not been so worried about crashing because of the slick roads, I probably would have caught up and asked what their problem was. Why do car drivers have to be such assholes? I don't recall when I did my drivers test any sort of asshole test evaluation, I mean, I remember doing three point turns and left turns and right turns and lane changes and angle parking, but for the life of me I don't recall being asked to honk angrily at every single cyclist. Is this a new requirement?

Anyway in the Huffington Post Arianna was angry at journalists for spending more time on the silly unimportant stuff, the Blago/Burris and Kennedy/Paterson/Cuomo soap operas, than on the things that matter, the $700 billion bailout, the disaster in the Middle East (Israel or Iraq, take your pick). For what it is worth John Stewart went on a bit of tirade against the media for spending so much time covering the Obama children's first day at a new school.

All this talk got me thinking, and this is going to piss off some journalists out there, and they deserve it. Journalists are stupid, no not all of them, but the vast majority of them. Very few journalists followed in the footsteps of Ed Murrow, most follow in the lines of George 'Dubby' Bush, if it is too complicated for me I just leave it alone and hope it goes away school of thought.

Consider some examples:

1. War: the reporter says, great, something to cover, but the wise person asks, why? The reporter responds, too complicated, just support our troops, support our President! Be a good citizen.
2. Congress enacts a $700 Billion dollar bailout: the reporter says great, it will save our economy, the wise person asks, will it? who will ensure the money is wisely spent? The reporter responds, too complicated, just support our Treasury and Federal Reserve Board, support our President! Be a good citizen.
3. The Patriot Act: the reporter says great, it will protect us from "the evil doers". The wise person asks, will it? Is giving up our liberates for some security going to secure us truly? The reporter responds, too complicated, just support our singing Attorney General, support our President! Be a good citizen.

So is it just me, or are most reporters really stupid people? My apologies to any J-school grads reading this but... no never mind, no apologies at all, the disaster the world is in is partly your fault!