According to credulous media accounts, a teacher saved her students from the Category 5 tornado that destroyed her school in Moore, Oklahoma by lying across them. While she is no doubt brave, there is – of course – no way that this is possible. Just another example of the media grasping for straws in their perpetual search for “heroes” in the wake of tragedy.
Heroically Hefty
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication, WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "The Stringer."
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Even when we do prosecute, these scumbag DOJ cretins cut deals to help their rich benefactors out. Like Jeff Skilling. He cleaned out thousands of people with his fraud, ruined lives, cost jobs, destroyed retirements. His reward? A “get out of jail free” card from his DOJ pals. In his case, a ten-year reduction.
This is the nature of power in the US. The reason Indians were ready to kill Rana on the spot was because they’re not living lives of insane comfort and privilege like nearly all Americans. The lifestyle of excess that Americans embrace is why the Skillings are able to walk free for heinous crimes, while some poor shnook who smoked some pot is sitting in a federal pen for 20 years with no parole.
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/former-enron-ceo-jeff-skilling-may-leave-prison-2017-1C9846371
Many have already said it, but it bears repeating: if Bangladesh imposes onerous regulations on its garment industry it will cause the owners to move somewhere without such onerous regulations, a place with low wages and absolutely none of these outrageously expensive rules protecting workers who must expect that, since they’re getting paid, they must take the necessary risks associated with earning their pay cheque.
Of course, I’m thinking of Texas.
The ¨Bangladeshi¨ cartoon bears the date of 5-28-13, five days from today (as I write). The description “Heroically Hefty” addresses the tornadoes in Moore, OK.
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Ted, you’ve done it again.
😀
Ted,
I’m gonna do a rare thing here and disagree with you. Not about the reality that — in a tornado — someone, no matter how massive, lying on students is really going to do much of anything. On that, you’re absolutely right. My impression, however, was that the teacher was being praised for shielding the students from potentially fatal debris.
For that, absolutely she deserves to be given a warmer-than-usual pink slip in five years when she’s let go due to budget cuts.
I’ve caught some of the discussion about the tornado, but, as you’ve mentioned in your cartoon, the media’s imbecilic fawning and straw-clutching is simply too grotesque to stomach. On the plus side, Wolf Blitzer lost the very last shred of what little amount of professional respect he still had when that woman told him she was an atheist.
Why do schools — ALL schools — not have basements for the students to shelter in during tornadoes, and similar disaster situations? How much, exactly, does it cost to put in a basement? For crying out loud, it’s just a great big hole in the ground. I realize there are technical specifications that need to be satisfied, but it couldn’t be much more complicated that building a brick wall. Putting up a school is usually a multi-million dollar event. So for, what, $30,000, students have to die?
Let me know when the media starts covering that.