WHOSE MURDER

THREE CHEERS! HIP, HIP, HURRAY! THE BIG, BAD TERRORIST WOLF IS DEAD. OR MURDERED? BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I WAS TOLD BY MY LOCAL A.M. RADIO HOST/PERSONALITY THAT I SHOULD STAY TO TUNED TO HEAR THE NEWS ABOUT THE MURDER OF ZARQAWI! SUCH AN INCORRECT CHOICE OF A WORD, SPOKEN OUT OF IGNORANCE OR DISINTEREST DOES NOT PRESENT AS MUCH OF A THREAT AS THE MANIPULATION OF NEWS BY THE NATIONAL MEDIA.

WHAT’S RELEVANT TO MY ANNOUNCER IS THE SOUND OF HIS VOICE IN A WORLD WHICH INCLUDES CORNHOLE TOURNAMENTS, THE STATE FAIR, STEAK HOUSES, TACOS, DIABETES RUNS, MOTORCYCLE RALLIES, LOCAL BASKETBALL AND FOOTBALL TEAMS, THE PETTY POLITICS OF PERSONALITIES, SCHOOL ACTIVITIES, CHURCH BROADCASTS ON SUNDAY, MOON FESTIVALS, BREATHLESS AND IMPOSSIBLE RETAIL COMMERCIALS, FLORIDA VACATIONS, COUNTRY MUSIC, DRUG BUSTS AND DAYTIME SOAP OPERA LIVING. NO WONDER HE HAS NO TIME TO REFLECT UPON A TERRORIST AND MASS MURDERER, FINALLY FINGERED BY AN INFORMANT IN A WAR TO PRESERVE THE SOUL OF AMERICA. NO WONDER HE TOOK NO TIME OUT TO REALIZE THAT HE ACCUSED AMERICAN SOLDIERS OF MURDERING THE MURDERER.

GIVEN A CHOICE, HOWEVER, I WOULD HAVE NO HESITATION ABOUT WHICH MAN WITH A MACHETE I WOULD CHOOSE (OR NOT) TO SHARE A ROOM. MY LOCAL YOKEL, OF COURSE, BECAUSE INFORMED OF HIS EGREGIOUS ERROR IN WORD CHOICE, HE WOULD APOLOGIZE AS A GOOD CITIZEN. ZARQAWI, ON THE OTHER HAND....