Godless Dave

The only American news I watch is PBS and I listen to NPR. I try to catch what BBC I can get, and read Aussie and British news on the web.

southernhybrid

I too feel like I live in some strange surreal world. We were making those same observations about the news coverage last night. I've never seen anything lke this in my life except perhaps in some satirical movie.

Americans have been so desensitized to violence over the last 25 or 30 years that I guess it makes sense that many would view the war as just another video game, action movie or sporting event. Watching the play by play descriptions of the action is very strange and disturbing to me.

Oddly enough, I have found that CNNfn has more variety of coverge in the evening after the financial markets are closed. They show British news sources, read from headlines around the world, cover the protest demonstrations and seem to be less biased than the other CNN stations. I have not seen the same appeal to emotions there as seem to be on the other networks.

Viti

Since this is only the second true war to happen in my lifetime, then yes. I have paid attention to various "operations" or policing around the world, but this is the first time, in my lifetime, that we have thrown the whole of our military might at someone.

Desert Storm didn't seem to have much strategy beyond nightly air strikes...and the news coverage was either voice broadcast only (by NON imbedded CNN reporters in Baghdad), and night vision shot of anti-aircraft fire in the sky. I watched it all...I also remember GW vets trying to get help for the bizarre array of symptoms they were having, and the government not helping those with Gulf War Syndrome.

I asked my parents about Vietnam, and they said the news propaganda didn't jive with what their friends and family coming back had to say (or not say, since a good many came back in coffins). The propaganda was the same...clips of Savior Marines giving food to Grateful Vietnamese Children...then the boys came home with stories of American atrocities on civilians, PTSD (my uncle still wakes up terrified in the middle of the night and grabs his gun because "Charlie" is out there), weird illnesses and all for what? North Vietnam seems to be more of a threat to the world TODAY then it was when we sent hundreds of thousands of teenagers over there to die.

I'm sorry, but I am afraid this will be similar...and I don't like watching some Sportscaster talking about troop movements and casualties as if they were injured knees and touchdowns.

christ-on-a-stick

Lady, I couldn't have summed up my feelings more perfectly.

Ever since this war started, every time I turn on the news I have the distinct sensation that I am watching a bad movie.