Serving the High Plains
QCS Columnist
This may seem a bit cliché, but lately I’ve had to ask, “Can’t we all just get along?” and “Is there any good news on TV these days?”
It seems every time I watch the news, browse media and social media websites and even listen to the radio, there is a report of violence, prejudice or scandal.
This day and age it seems to be the norm that people have come to expect from the news.
From pizza parlors refusing service based on religious bias, criminal suspects dying in police custody, officer shootings and the latest case involving George Zimmerman being shot in a case of suspected road rage.
You remember Zimmerman don’t you? He was acquitted of a murder charge in 2013. The charge stemmed from the 2012 fatal shooting of 17-year old Trayvon Martin in Florida.
As I am writing this column, the circumstances surrounding this shooting is not clear. Zimmerman was hospitalized with minor injuries and no one has been arrested.
As if you didn’t already have enough to re-hatch as you sit down during the evening with the police shootings, holier than thou pizza makers and the ever-recurring mass shootings.
You also can’t forget the updates on international tensions with North Korea, Iran and the latest ISIS threats. All the things you need to not sleep a wink if your mind runs like mine when you’re ready to sleep.
You even get to be astounded at the unusual, like maybe losing an entire airplane, filled with people.
That’s right, a plane went missing. We are able to target terrorists from a world away with drones and satellites, but a plane goes missing. We can track a comet in the cosmos, but a plane disappears. I think you see where I’m going with this.
Then there is the sports news like the Mayweather-Pacqiuao fight and the backlash that followed. It reminded me of eating Mexican food before a long road trip and the regret of spending money on something that produces a most unpleasant ending.
Now some of you might say the simple solution is to turn the news off. To be honest, I thought about taking that course.
Though I really can’t afford to go uninformed, even if at times the sources of the information are biased and skewed in the dissemination of said information.
Plus there are a lot of things I need to keep up with -- such as potential criminals on the lam, severe weather, Yankees standings and the occasional cat video.
I’d like to see the world become a place of peace and prosperity, where the news would be rather dull and boring.
Unfortunately the latest news reports show that’s not about to happen anytime soon.
Though today I did watch some news and media clips that made me smile.
The National Football League suspended Tom Brady for four games. Plus, my friend Ellen shared a video she recorded of two lizards mating in her garage.
It's pretty sad when the punishment for a scandal that will likely tarnish the NFL and the sport I love and cherish and what I will call "lizard porn" are the two media highlights of the day.
Maybe tonight, I’ll just see what’s on the DVR.
Thomas Garcia is senior writer for the Quay County Sun. Contact him at: [email protected]