Fly on the Wall
by Chris Davis
Credit Due
In her August 8th report on a rowdy town hall meeting hosted by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, Commercial Appeal reporter Linda Moore got one thing dead wrong. After mentioning a sign waved by an opponent of health-care reform reading "Don't tell my gigi how to die," Moore stated that the sign addressed allegations that the bill will allow senior citizens to be euthanized. This is something "supporters" of health-care reform "strongly deny," Moore wrote. But, here's the thing. Congress wanting to off grandma is a fact to be checked rather than an opinion to be debated. Common sense dictates that representatives have to be re-elected and may wish to avoid questions like, "Why do you want to send Big Mama to heaven?" When all else fails, one can always check the actual legislation. After being notified by various commenters that forced euthinasion of a beloved family member is a contentious, highly emotional concept standing in the way of useful debate, Moore changed her copy to note that the nonpartisan factcheck.org says all rumors suggesting that Democrats want to kill geezers are false. Kudos to Moore for stopping the silliness. Eventually.
Tricky
Writers for examiner.com don't get paid by the story, by the word, or by their level of expertise on a given subject. They are paid by the click, and that's why your Pesky Fly was suspicious when he saw an article headlined "How to Make Yourself Feel Good Instantly in Memphis" by "Memphis Life Coaching Examiner" J. Spicer. Sadly, all initial instincts were correct. Two of the Examiner's tips — "Ride your bike through Germantown" and "Take a drive through the country" — paradoxically require leaving Memphis in order to instantly feel good in Memphis, suggesting that our life coach might benefit from visiting a logic coach. And a clear understanding of the words "in" and "instantly."
Comments (12)
Showing 1-12 of 12
THIS WEEK'S ISSUE
SPECIAL ISSUES
