Archive for July 17, 2009
Dinner With Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite died today at the age of 92.
Cronkite was a much a part of my childhood as Michael Jackson was of others’. My family gathered around the television every night at dinnertime and watched the “CBS Evening News,” which was then actual news. Walter always signed off with, “And that’s the way it is…” after which he gave the date.
He seemed like a wonderful, kind man with tremendous integrity and again, he was a journalist and he reported the news. Back then, for the most part, news meant facts, not opinion. Undoubtedly he left this Earth distressed at the state of that institution.
RIP Walter. I’m glad I know what a real “news anchor” is. I hope the history books include your story so young people will have a sense of what we’ve lost.
How Dumb Does Mark Udall (D-CO) Think I Am?
I just called Mark Udall’s office (he’s my senator) to tell him about the little hospital experience my husband had recently and to urge him to get on board with single-payer health care, ah, as of YESTERDAY.
The guy who answered the phone said Udall “hasn’t taken a position yet,” to which I responded that it was about time he did. To that, the guy said “bear in mind that he’s a freshman senator” and he isn’t all that familiar with how the senate works.
What? What does that freakin’ have to do with forming an opinion as to what sort of reforms we need in our health care system? Nothing, of course, but they apparently think I’m dumb enough to think it does, and I’m supposed to believe it and go away.
