tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6801787.post-17036534332902047292006-12-30T18:13:00.000-05:002006-12-31T12:43:40.021-05:00<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_clB_LN5OUCk/RZby0T83tdI/AAAAAAAAABA/9t_MnuPOhfc/s1600-h/james_brown-1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_clB_LN5OUCk/RZby0T83tdI/AAAAAAAAABA/9t_MnuPOhfc/s200/james_brown-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5014462215646328274" /></a><br />What’s a couch potato to do when our nation's leading black entertainer, least interesting former president, and most favorite foreign dictator die in the same week?<br /><br />Just sit back and watch…<br /><br />To my delight, CBS News broke with tradition earlier in the week by not interrupting its programming for a special report on Ford's death. Unlike its network rivals, the station ran a printed "crawl" at the bottom of the screen: “Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States, died at the age of 93.”<br /><br />The New York Times brashly speculated that his widow, Betty Ford, might leave a greater legacy since her candor about her battle with breast cancer and treatment for alcohol and substance abuse set the stage for public awareness and advocacy. <br /><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_clB_LN5OUCk/RZby6z83teI/AAAAAAAAABI/oGPaH2f_rH0/s1600-h/20948689.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_clB_LN5OUCk/RZby6z83teI/AAAAAAAAABI/oGPaH2f_rH0/s200/20948689.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5014462327315477986" /></a>While Mrs. Ford will also be remembered for having inspired millions of women with her support for the failed Equal Rights Amendment, the “Accidental President,” who occupied the White House for just 896 days, will best be known for pardoning a crooked president upon whose coattails he rode into office and for initially refusing to support New York City during its 1975 financial crisis.<br /><br />Perhaps that was why there was no military flyover, no canons, salutes or bugles, and no honorary pallbearers at Ford’s Palm Desert, California service.<br /><br />Quite boring, actually, so couch potato continued clicking the remote control looking for more “livelier” news.<br /><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_clB_LN5OUCk/RZb0Cz83tfI/AAAAAAAAABY/8ScInSg4svw/s1600-h/saddam_hussein.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_clB_LN5OUCk/RZb0Cz83tfI/AAAAAAAAABY/8ScInSg4svw/s200/saddam_hussein.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5014463564266059250" /></a>Since the execution of Saddam Hussein, who tortured thousands of Iraqis (and two American presidents), was not available on basic cable, all those bland talking head reports of his death seemed like yesterday’s news. <br /><br />Former Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein was hanged at 6:10 am on Friday, December 30th in Baghdad, five days after being sentenced to death; he was 69, read the news anchors.<br /><br />By gosh, could you be any more uninteresting? Why not be daring and tell us why we really started the 16-year “War in Iraq” or why Saddam turned on the Bush(es) administration in the first place?<br /><br />Producers at New York 1 News, meanwhile, decided to go with daylong coverage of James Brown’s funeral service in Augusta, Georgia where dignitaries included Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and Michael Jackson. As with the memorial service at the famed Apollo Theater, I watched in awe as dozens of civil rights leaders and entertainers spoke lovingly of Mr. Brown, who died of heart failure on Monday, December 25 at the age of 73.<br /><br />In the end, it comes down to priorities - and inspiring people of color to move physically, sexually, spiritually, and, most importantly, politically with songs like “I’m Black and I’m Proud!” and “Living in America” wins hands down against a few stints in jail for domestic abuse. <br /><br />Couch potato stayed with New York 1 and honored the Godfather of Soul.Marina Ortizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104898385148504654noreply@blogger.com