Okay, last night you all said I was a jerk

[edhopper]

for thinking that the Foley story was more important and should have lead the news instead of the Amish shootings. Maybe it was a breaking story yesterday.
But two days in a row! How does this story impact most Americans, as opposed to the Congress story.
I say it's just the MSM, not wanting to beat up on the Repubs.
Heaven forbid they are called bias before an election for reporting the truth.

[Bluebear]

1. How does this story impact most Americans? Dead children.

It's heartbreaking and any American NOT affected, something is wrong with them.

[MrCoffee]

6. This story has no impact on the vast majority of Americans.

It's part of the neverending "If it bleeds, it leads" newscycle. Yes, I feel for the parents. Yes, the gunman was clearly a sick, sick person. But it's one more violent crime news story to feed the bloodthirsty throng.

[annabanana]

14. not "no affect".. no EFFECT

Of course we're all affected by this dreadful story. It will not, most likely, have an effect on our lives.

[INDIA]

2. Sludge has stayed with Foley the entire time...

Does that make you happy?

[MADem]

5. Actually, the first day or so, he buried it totally

It was only when more IMs came out that he pushed it forward.

[INDIA]

9. It's been on top of the Amish shooting all day.

And I remember at least yesterday it was still the headline. Pretty impressive for Sludge to go after a Repub like that.

Maybe he is atoning for the "beast" comment?

[MADem]

11. When the Foley story first broke, it was a small link for a day or so

It was only when it got sexually salacious that he jumped onboard, so to speak. It has everything to do with hits to his site--if he's not covering it, his "fans" will go elsewhere for their salacious news.

He atones for nothing. He's a sick fuck, frankly....

[Avalux]

3. We can multi-task here at DU.

Lots of people and lots of posts on a lot of different subjects. We're not all posting the same thing. ;-)

[MADem]

4. The Foley story WILL impact more Americans

Simply because it has the potential to affect the balance of power on the Hill. It could well supress GOP turnout, and maybe even change a few GOP votes. Also, Catholic "values" voters might get a bit riled that a fifty two year old Republican is trying to blame the church for his pedophilia...and they just may stay home as well.

The school shooting story, while sad, is just one more horrible school shooting. The only thing that makes it different is that it was in an Amish school, a small classroom, old fashioned clothing, with no students calling out on their cellphones, and the shooter wasn't a student.

Cynically, the GOP would probably have preferred that the school be one with more modern parents. Those Amish parents aren't gonna go on Good Morning America and boohoo for the cameras to keep the drama addicts locked on. When there are no pictures, the newshounds WILL default to a story about sexual perversion.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Eh, you were right.

The Amish shooting is a local story. More Nancy Grace fodder.

But enough of this "all" business. Most of us recognize the importance of the Foley story.

[cui bono]

8. I was surprised as well that the 3 major networks led with the Amish

shooting.

I think the Foley story with the cover up and what that says about the supposed leadership of our entire country, the people who are making the laws of our entire country, is absolutely more important than the shooting. Especially in this time of no oversight and subversion of the constitution.

[Lorax]

10. Kids getting shot is just sad?

So it's just sad but we'll get over it? Girls are being singled out. They are being shot by random outsiders who wander into schools. We can't be assured that our children are safe when we send them to school. But it's not that important.

Don't get me wrong, I'm salivating over the Foley story as much as the next Democrat out there. But it's ridiculous to say that the school shootings don't really affect that many Americans. How many Americans have children in school? How many of those children are girls? How many Americans work in schools for that matter. I'm doing my student teaching right now, I'll be a teacher in about 7 months. Now I have to worry about whether my daughter will get shot in her school AND whether * I * will get shot at school? I'm sorry, but the Foley storey doesn't affect ME more than the school shootings.

[Der Blaue Engel]

12. I'm glad you said that

These recent stories are a huge warning sign and an indicator of something deeply, deeply wrong in our society. I think it's no coincidence that this increase in acts of vile hatred against women and young girls occurs under the Bush reign. A mysogynistic, homophobic, spiteful, hateful government sets an example, and the worsening health/mental health care and economic situation feeds the festering hatred.

I'm just going to keep repeating this from now on: read The Handmaid's Tale.

That said, the media is vile in its own way, in the lurid details it salivates over, feeding the ever-growing sickness in the minds of Americans who love to hear about it, all the while saying, "Isn't that just awful?"

[bigbrother05]

13. How does this story impact most Americans,

Guns, schools, Bowling for Columbine.
School has been in session less than a month, and we have had three shooting this week.
How do expect them to protect us from terrorist, when they can't even protect our children? Just another example of them focusing on the wrong frigging things.