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April 01, 2005
Goodbye Randal Terry
For the left-of-center political strategists in America's ongoing culture war, Pope John Paul II could not have picked a better day to die (or, at least, fall deathly ill — the reports keep changing).
Before I go on, let me say I intend no disrespect to the Pontiff (seriously). But this isn't about him. This is about the American culture war whose most recent battle took place was in a hospice in Florida and (as always) on the television airwaves.
That the Pope's health failed on this, of all days, is a blow to Randall Terry and others who recently used poor Terry Schiavo to further their anti-American goals.
For weeks the these people—who seek destroy the American traditions of pluralism, separation of powers, checks and balances, and the very rule of law in the United States based solely on their personal religious beliefs—have received a media buzz that generated yet another polarizing issue in America's culture war.
The full political and cultural fallout from the Terry Schiavo situation will surely go on, and perhaps has barely begun, but let's face it: the minute Terry Schiavo died yesterday, the news media, particularly the cable news channels, were looking for a new story.
Boy did they get it. These mothers swept down on the Pope so fast that, as with Yasser Arafat, they prematurely reported his death.
Sure, the TV news will continue to report on issues brought forth by the Terry Schiavo story. Indeed the story of the Pope's death, or impending death (“... uh...well we assure you he is very very sick, according to the Vatican”), will be intertwined with that of Schiavo, since her death sparked a debate on life, and end-of-life issues of which the Pope had strong feelings.
But, Schiavo's death ended the suspense required for the drama of 21st-century television news. Our attention-deficit-disorder-driven media outlets ready to move on to the next big thing. The Pope came and saved them.
Posted by MJuhre at April 1, 2005 03:53 PM