BEGGING FOR A 1 DAY MORATORIUM ON POLITICAL NEWS 9/2

Dear NBC, ABC, CNN, FOX NEWS, WALL STREET JOURNAL, WASHINGTON POST, ETC. ETC., ETC.

I suggest we declare a one day moratorium on political news on September 2, commemorating the end of World War II in 1945.  

Think of how wonderful it would be.  You open your newspaper and read about important events going on in the world or your own city.  You check your computer or cellphone, and don’t see a picture of Stormy Daniels or Paul Ryan.  You turn on the evening news and once again, you can trust that you will not have to look at  Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin.  You will not hear one newscaster spending a full hour berating the president, or turn to another station to hear another newscaster defending the president.  Nada. Nothing. Verboten.  I don’t know what they will find to talk about, but surely they can think of something.

Isn’t there anything else of interest going on in the world but politics?  Wildfires and flooding are actual news.  Tragedies like school shootings and duck boat accidents are deserving of all the news reports they can get.  We know that negativity is the name of the game in the media racket today.   Sex, lies, murder, disgrace, downfalls of the rich and famous.  That’s what sells, so we can understand that sort of coverage is never going to end.   Honestly, I don’t care what you report or don’t report.  Just please, please, all media sources: get together  and announce that for one pleasant, beautiful day, we don’t have to read or hear about politics.

Let's try and extend the moratorium across the country, and encourage people to talk about anything but politics. You know what might happen on that particular day?  People might carry on conversations about last night's baseball game, or where they went on vacation.  The “socialist” on the left and the “nazi”  on the right might find out they actually kind of like each other.

What will the activists do that day?  I would suggest they pack up a picnic lunch, buy a bottle of wine, and go to the beach.

A SHOW OF LEGS ON PUBLIC TELEVISION

While watching one of our favorite talk shows Friday night on public television, we weren't impressed with two of the three female guests. How can you take a woman seriously who lets her short skirt move way up above her knees, showing off her bare legs and thighs while participating in a serious political discussion? HELLOOO! This is not an episode of Sex and the City, and it's not the morning show on ABC, NBC, or CBS.

What would we think of a male journalist who wore a kilt and propped up his hairy legs as he loftily critiqued the actions of various elected officials?

Feminists decry their lack of career opportunity, and yet when they do the short skirt act, they will not be respected.. If you watch the show, notice how the elder stateswoman, presents herself.  No, she doesn’t dress like a Vogue model. And yes, she has a down home, Hoosier look—slacks and jackets and sensible shoes.  But she looks professional and you are impressed with her impassioned,  intelligent comments, even though you might not agree 100% with her liberal convictions.

Ladies, if you want to be taken seriously on public television, and you want to wear a skirt, make sure that it covers your knees.  Or, if you must show some flesh, sit behind a desk or counter.

MEN, WOMEN AND #BEAUTY

Young women today have certainly come a long way since the Women’s Movement of the 60’s.  They hold important jobs, receive equal pay, and don’t have to make a choice between family or a career.  They can travel far and wide and do wonderful things.  But there’s one place where women haven’t progressed at all.  In fact, they taken several steps backward as far the time and money  they must devote to their physical  appearance.  

When my husband and I are going to some public event, he merely has to shower and shave, throw on the same clothes he’s worn for  10  years,  and he’s good to go.  I, of course, must shower, curl my hair, find something stylish to wear (no bell bottoms, please) , and finally, apply the dreaded makeup. Then, there’s the fingernail and toenail polish, the earrings, the necklaces, the bracelets, the scarves.  I would guess women spend five times as much time and money on their appearance as men.  So, there’s the inequality.

50 years ago, a woman who wore black eyeliner, false eyelashes,  fake fingernails,  4 shades of eyeshadow , rouge and dangling earrings  was probably in the theater or the world’s oldest profession.  Most everyone else wore a bit of foundation, possibly some eyebrow pencil, a dab of lipstick, and off they went. 

Nowadays, all you have to do is turn on the news to see how things have changed.  Look at  #CNN, ABC, or # Fox News. The females have perfect hair.  (How many hours must they spend with hairdressers?). They wear as much eyeliner and mascara as an Egyptian princess.  And of course, the eyelash extensions and trendy clothes are a must.   Their teeth are pearly white, their faces glitter and glow, and their skirts go up above their knees. The women on #PBS aren’t quite so made up and girly girl, but even there, the dangling earrings that catch the light during serious discussions are distracting.  Male newscasters don’t have to look glamorous.  They’re supposed to look serious, which they wouldn’t if they wore even half as much makeup  and revealing clothes  as their female counterparts.  And it bothers me that they’ve tried to tart up Sarah Huckabee.  I liked her just the way she was.

Women are  not equal as far as appearance is concerned. The cosmetics industry is growing more prosperous, and gentlemen still prefer painted ladies.