Tonight after the extra-long hour and half special called “Murder and Mayhem”, CBS will have a special report on the death of black (!) Kathina Thomas, the ten year old (!) gunned (!) down on the front step of her house in Arbor Hill (!). This program will discuss how blacks (!) are so violent (!) people, and will have lots of vivid imagery to appeal to all of your worst instincts.

If only they could have discovered that Kathina Thomas was a sex offender (!) or that her shooter (!) was a sex offender (!) it could have been a better story. Still once the police announced that the shooter (!) was only 15 years old (!) and used a community gun (!) it was a great news story that the media couldn't help to milk as much as they could for it's value.

The media knew Kathina was excellent opportunity to get viewers to watch, and encourage them to buy discount laundry soap at Walmart or KIA cars at the Fussillo Super Car Lot (TM). Indeed, many a crappy car and laundry soap will be sold thanks to the death of Kathrina. Rather then discuss substantive issues, the media would prefer to show crying parents juxtaposed against happy singing people jumping up and down in a used Jap-Crap car lot.

I am totally disgusted about the entire Kathina Thomas murder coverage. It was a personal tragedy to her family, and she deserved mention in the obituary column, along with a dignified funeral outside of media attention. Her accused killer, a minor, should be prosecuted outside of media's attention, and the result of the trial be only mentioned in passing on the police beat.

There are real issues that our city, state, and nation are facing that should be the focus of the media. Urban poverty and the lack of successful programs to eliminate poverty should be a prime story. The continuing Iraq War and the impact both on thousands of American lives deserves more then 3% of the news coverage. The lack of investment in clean energy and mass transit gets even less coverage.

While there is alternative media that has better coverage of the stories of the day, relatively few people watch or listen to it. Alternative media, by definition, lacks the glimmer and pop that commercial media has. For many Americans, it's boring. They would rather turn to the overstimulating media that promotes more violence like the death of Kathrina.