Honie Briggs

…and there came to pass early in the second millennium an information overload and great hysteria among the people.

There appeared before the multitudes a host of websites calling out from the cloud, “Verily verily we download unto thee, new graphics in your face.”

A band of programmers proclaimed the message was supposed to be ‘new graphic interface,’ but it mattered not, for among the end users there was no difference.

The error was never corrected. Log Out. (amen)

Each morning I begin my day as most people. Depending on how many times during the night I had to A: turn my pillow over to the cool side or B: nudge my husband to stop snoring or C: write something down before I forgot it, I may or may not remember having a dream, but if I do and it’s a good one, I try to hold onto that dream as long as I can. Most days I have second thoughts about whether or not  I actually want to get out of bed, but usually I have to pee, so, I at least have to get up to do that. The routine varies from day to day, but most mornings I check my favorite blogs to see what is on everyone’s mind.

Last week there was a tragic event in a small rural community in Alabama, and major news media outlets did report these few facts:

• A school bus driver was shot and killed at point-blank range
• Children were on the school bus and witnessed the shooting
• One child was taken hostage and held in an underground bunker

Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies surrounded the bunker, and for nearly an entire week, communicated with the kidnapper trying to reason with the man in an effort to keep the child from further harm. At one point even sending medication and toys for the child into the bunker. Yesterday the child’s abductor was shot and killed. The child is safe with his family.

For the past week, I have seen no media storm, no public outcry for armed school bus drivers, no hateful spewing of anti this and ignorant that on the internet. Why not? I cannot be certain. Maybe it’s because the terrifying event was in rural Alabama and the haters of the world believe it only fitting that such a thing happen where, as haters would have us believe, only ignorant, gun loving, backward inbreds live. Maybe it was because the media was prohibited from being in the area to prevent an escalation that could have jeopardized the child’s life. There could be more plausible reasons, but those are the two I can think of at the moment.

It is a relief and a blessing that this incident ended with the safe return of the child. As we have seen, this is not always the case. I can only imagine what a horrific six days it must have been for that child’s family. I can only imagine what a heartbreak it must be for the family of the bus driver, whose senseless death at the hand of a deeply disturbed man with a gun will no doubt be another excuse for fear and hatred to take its stronghold. I can only imagine the trauma for those children who witnessed first hand the act of violence. I can only imagine the spin that will inevitably come as media outlets pick up this story.

I’d say it will be interesting to see how it becomes fodder for pundits and fuel for hate mongers, but it will not be interesting. Possibly because it will only be a footnote no one will talk about at all or possibly because after the media parades around every person they can find who will say something stupid just to be on TV and the details have been wrung out for every nasty sound bite that can be squeezed from them, it will be over and people will remember only what they want to remember.