"When you read in the papers that some front is a sea of mud, it means just that. Miles and miles of trucks stuck off the road etc. The poor infantry live in, eat, and sleep in it. When they take to a hay stack, straw pile, etc. they get fleas and lice which get infected in this dirt. They can't even light a fire at the front day or night, and sometime go for two days on a chocolate (concentrated) bar, because of supplies being unable to move up. Every hill (and this country is all hills) is fought bitterly for, every bridge and every road mined. The tanks can't operate except as support for Infantry, and it is a yard by yard war...It made me want to cry or shout or do something..." ~ Ernie Pyle (now, THAT is journalism)

okay, I am just browsing through an area newspaper, and I glance at a lay-out of wedding anniversaries in the high numbers and a "pets of the week" bulletin plus an ad for Bibles and positioned among all of those pictures is a photo of a daddy cuddling with his 9 year old daughter and they are both dressed in camouflage suits with mud smeared on their smiling faces while a beautiful murdered deer flat on the ground seems to stare into somebody's camera.the "shot" of parent and child and slain animal is entitled "accomplishments", and the caption reads: "This generation's 'Young Gun _____', nine year old _____ shot her first deer on Sunday." I wish that newspapers would stop publishing such tragedies...and if they cannot stop pandering to these misguided types, just to sell a few more papers, that they disappear altogether. what is deader than that deer is journalism. sensationalism is not journalism.(Indiana misspelled the information on a new statue or plaque or some such tribute to him in Bloomington...and the unveiling is scheduled in two days I think? this state is something else...my mother just adored ernie pyle!)we are not alone in thinking these thoughts...I cannot figure out why newspapers cater to the lowest common denominators...all of them do lately...in our state anyway.the very idea that family newspapers encourage these hunting photo ops I find so distressing...happens every autumn...such a wonderful time of the year and these "rags" ruin it...the DNR ruins it with their announcements of open seasons for mass murder of these and them and those...and then in the summer...auctioning off living beings/farm animals for cash and for slaughter...children are brainwashed and then must pose for the cameras, smiling like nothing is horribly wrong. tears my heart right out of my chest.why do newspapers not lift people up, instruct, and appreciate really concerned readers who want fair coverage of important issues and yearn for information? I honestly see no point in subscribing to any of them or even visiting them online.for one thing, procreation just for the sake of it is a sad commentary on our world...and that is precisely what is going on...and the poor animals are artificially inseminated as if there is no tomorrow to be slaughtered for steaks and casseroles and fine dining. but only human babies matter?and for another, cheese is sprinkled on absolutely every possible food item in restaurants, and it is a major cause of cancer development...please, please become wise about this unnecessary product and the horrific means by which it reaches the clueless consumer. start requesting that cheese not be added to your order...we are paying for murder...it starts with us.I truly wish that authors, journalists, film-makers would tackle these horrid truths we are all ignoring. the satirists and muck-rakers of yesterday...and the orwells and swifts are long gone...no such talent exists now.money talks...no sense putting one's neck out and offending a greedy public. give the consumer what he wants...consuming is where it's at.________________________Jo Anne Bellantone Schweiger: "AMEN, Susie. I don't understand what some people consider 'sport.' To take a life of any kind should not be tolerated...then, to teach your children...and some people wonder why the world is in the state it is in...Thank you, Susie. You put such an eloquent voice to all of this. I sincerely believe that people should take an IQ test before they are allowed to procreate. Forgive me if some people find this offensive; but, it's pics like this and parents like that that make me feel this way."LaDena Manus Davidson: "Double that 'Amen'!"Drex Morton: "Triple the Amen! Is that akin to 'Triple Dog Dare You'? Lol... Good writing challenges and leaves the conversation with an audience chastened, well informed, inspired, and motivated to work for the betterment of all concerned. That's why I enjoy Susie Sexton's work...And BY the way, she's entertaining, too..."________________________Read about movies and nostalgia, animal issues and sociopolitical concerns all discussed in my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter and its follow-up Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels - print and ebook versions of both are available on Amazon (click the title).The books are also carried by these fine retailers: Ann Arbor's Bookbound and Common Language ; Columbia City's Memory Lane North Side Grille and Whitley County Historical Museum ; and Fort Wayne's The Bookmark And you can download from iTunes Meet other like-minded souls at my facebook fan page Visit my author website at www.susieduncansexton.com Join a great group of animal advocates Squawk Back: Helping animals when others can't ... Or Won't