When tragedy strikes, so do the pundits and politicians.
The I-35 westbound bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed, sending rush hour traffic tumbling into the river below. Rescue crews rapidly descended on the location only to be blocked by the media and onlookers stumbling over one another to get the best pictures of the carnage to upload to YouTube.…
Article comments
— go to most recent comments26 - Doug DeLong
John, would you have written this same article just hours after the World Trade Center towers fell?
27 - John Bambenek
I'm sorry, people are going to start laying blame before all the facts are known. They do it all the time. It'll be weeks before a perliminary report is in explaining what happened. Months before its final. And people are already blaming Bush. And they did it at V. Tech too. The gun control debate started no more than 12 hours after the first shot was heard.
At least the WTC blame game waited a couple of days. Katrina was same day too. They had 2 full days of finding blame every which way until it became apparent that FEMA wasn't up to the task.
It happens every tragedy. And apparently it's ok for most of you because it supports your politics. Oh, but don't point out the absurdity, that's just not nice.
28 - Ogre
I'm offended. What do I get to burn?
And can we stop reading all the news coverage of the next few days now? I'm pretty sure this is a complete summary. Those who think it's in poor taste, come back and read this in one week. Watch and see how accurate a summary this will be.
29 - John Bambenek
Fox has already started the cycle of politicization.
So has MSNBC.
CNN seems to be flirting around it right now but getting there.
see I told you so.
But let's not criticize them... they're beyond reproach... even with bodies in the water.
30 - John Bambenek
see I told you so
see I told you so
see I told you so
31 - John Bambenek
see I told you so.
32 - John Bambenek
Franken suspended campaign activities... good for him... one politician who remembers he's human.
Nevermind the no small number of people who ran to the press to get on TV.
33 - Christopher Rose
John, just to keep you informed, you posted several links more than once and didn't format the Al Franken one correctly. I've fixed them all up but maybe you could take a moment...
34 - John Bambenek
But this is the Internet... taking a moment would mean departing from quantity over quality!
35 - Peter
AYFKM!?! "And they did it at V. Tech too. The gun control debate started no more than 12 hours after the first shot was heard."
Yeah, um, and no one has really successfully cracked satrically about *that* situation, either. Who would WANT to? People are DEAD. No one is saying you're wrong about the MSM, John, just that your piece was ill-timed, ill-conceived.
If you want to be critical of the media, then by all means. But instead of getting defensive, why not just admit that a) maybe it's too early to be funny about disaster, or b) that no amount of humor would make a disaster like this funny.
36 - John Bambenek
Attn: Prof. Peter, PhD PhD PhD PhD and Nobel Laurette in Literature.
Humor is not the same as satire.
I wasn't attempting to be funny, I was attempting to tear down the people who already have started to score political points at this. Writing this a week from now wouldn't be satire, it'd be summary.
37 - Nancy
Well, you're right about it being 'biting' humor; it certainly does bite, as Chris said. You have made a point about the sensationalistic vultures of politics & the MSM, but I think there were better ways to do it than this.
38 - John Bambenek
Perhaps, Nancy...
39 - Nancy
However, John, per my comment on the other 'bridge' article, after thinking about it, I'm not so sure I'm offended at all. After all, you & Realist are at least not making a buck off it, or using it for self-aggrandizement, that I can see - & people (including all of us) are going to discuss it into the ground. I can't see anything wrong with discussing it online, either, as long as it isn't for profit or personal gain.
40 - Peter
"I was attempting to tear down the people who already have started to score political points at this."
"Hello pot? This is kettle speaking..."
Don't need a PhD to figure that one out.
41 - Daryl d
John:
Don't let these people get you down. Even though this article is satire, it makes a lot of points. Satire doesn't work always and I have a hard time writing satirical articles, but you were spot on with this. Perhaps you could have waited another day, but oh well.
42 - Dee
Wow! This has created a storm of angry comments; while I agree with the angle of the satire-- you had to suspect it was going to ruffle some feathers. Perhaps if it was titled it as a ‘psychic reading’ then people wouldn’t be so up in arms about it. It is a horrible tragedy, but the real tragedy is that what you wrote is bang on! And even worse is that this tragedy will only be headline news until some diaper wearing astronaut or some paparazzi catches a false Hollywood icon at the wrong moment takes precedence and captures the short attention span of the public.
43 - Jon Sobel
This isn't even remotely funny, nor is it even remotely "biting." It's just stupid. "We should all be reinforced that we are fighting a global war on terror"? What kind of English is that? I can handle poor taste if it makes me laugh, or makes me think, but this just makes me embarrassed for Blogcritics.
44 - John Bambenek
see I told you so.
45 - Dr Dreadful
John,
Any chance you could stop obsessing on the "see I told you so"s and concentrate on what's actually happening in Minnesota?
46 - Mary K. Williams
Any chance you could stop obsessing on the "see I told you so"s and concentrate on what's actually happening in Minnesota?
Damn good fucking point Dr D.
Sadly there will be another tragedy to replace this one, probabaly sooner then we realize - because - that's life.
And then what? The Media is going to do what they're going to do. Fight back with words of wisdom and comfort instead of lambasting others or trying to prove how right you are. Is that really what's important right now?
Not to get too preachy, or presume that others share my beliefs - but I think some time would be better spent in prayer - or at least meditation to conjure up some positive energy for those folks.
Or shut up, show up and lend a hand.
47 - Mary K. Williams
Sorry for one thing - I didnt read this all the way thru. and didnt see your comment about prayers. that's a good thing.
but please..the 'I told you so's'? not good.
48 - John Bambenek
You're right... I should let the criticisms go unanswered because we'd hate for any intelligent discussion to happen.
I'll go back to ignoring comments, my bad for wasting everyone's time responding to the critics.
49 - Marty Dodge
Writing something edgy to get lots of comments. Bad taste, bad timing and not even funny.
50 - Brad Schader
Notice the lack of his attacking the right? This is a left wing attack piece with a token Cheney slam to appear non-bias.
Every "I told you so" links to a liberal. Here is an offical response from Tony "Tarbaby" Snow:
if an inspection report identifies deficiencies, the state is responsible for taking corrective actions
I added the bold, but the White House is once again blaming the state. The road is Interstate 35W. I thought interstate was the realm of the Feds and not state governments.
51 - Nancy
Brad, you think John B. is a Leftie? Whhhoooooo-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's the funniest thing I've read all week! JEE-zus! If John's a leftist, then you must be somewhere to the right of Attila the Hun...?
52 - daryl d
I heard that Al Sharpton is already headed out there because one of the victims happens to be Black.
53 - Nancy
Sharpton would. He'll do anything, prostitute himself anywhere anyhow, for attention. He's just another political attention junkie, like all the rest.
54 - Dave Nalle
You know, there was another bridge collapse like this a few years ago here in Texas on the South Padre Island bridge. It was almost entirely forgotten because it happened less than 24 hours before 9/11 and got sort of overwhelmed. Only 4 were killed, but the section of collapsed bridge was much larger.
Dave
55 - zingzing
for fuck's sake, john. i saw this title in the "most comments" section and immediately knew it was you. i have family in minneapolis, including many who use that bridge on a daily basis. your title is really fucking stupid and thoughtless. i hope you know that. [Gratuitous vulgarity deleted by Comments Editor.]
56 - zingzing
hrm. i wasn't going to read it, but then i did. while the satire wasn't "biting," your note at the end made it make some sense. still, i would've waited a few days, letting them actually count the dead before writing something like this. you could have made your point using just about anything rather than this, but you did what you did. whatever.
57 - Brad Schader
Nancy,
I got that backasswards. I reversed left and right, but my comment should show what I was saying.
58 - Brad Schader
Actually,
re-reading my post shows you are backasswards and not my post. I said he did NOT attack any righties. I said this was a left wing attack piece as in an attack piece used to attack the left wing.
59 - Clavos
Your comment wasn't clear to me either, until you explained yourself, so Nancy's not "backasswards," IMO.
60 - Dr Dreadful
#48: Typical Bambenek. Writes something he knows is going to piss people off, then has a hissy fit when he gets called on it.
61 - Brad Schader
Clavos,
With two votes it clearly means either A)I was not clear or B) Bush stole another election. I am sorry Nancy. I am saying this typical right wing babble- use something bad with a body count to attack the left.
62 - Derik
Well written and while unfortunate in it's timing, it was necessary to be preemptive to the inevitable.
I must correct the author on one point. Sadly Kirby Puckett died early last year, leaving us with only Prince.
63 - John Bambenek
I was wondering if anyone was going to pick up on that.
64 - zingzing
and prince lives in toronto these days.
i can't believe chris deleted my vulgarity. i thought it was nice enough.
65 - Big Dog
Certainly John would not have written this kind of thing after 9/11 because the political atmosphere was somewhat different. The country came together to do something when that happened. It was not until weeks later when Clinton was implicated as soft on terror did the "it happened on Bush's watch" crowd start.
Fast forward to Katrina and the media and the Democratic party were certainly laying blame while bodies were floating and unaccounted for. They took every opportunity to use Katrina (a natural event) to blame Bush and the Republican majority (talk about using body counts to attack, Clavos).
John merely beat these people to the punch and he did so by blasting what was coming, not what happened to those poor folks on that bridge.
He was right, already we have people blaming war costs and Bush for not having money for infrastructure. The problem is, Congress is at fault. Money is collected for roads and infrastructure in the form of taxes. It is never earmarked for that because they place it in the general fund and spend it on things that we do not need.
John, good item. You knew it would cause a firestorm and it has. At least it has people talking...
66 - Nancy
That's OK, Brad. I wasn't going to pass out if you did think I was backassward, which I sometimes am.
67 - RJ
Masterful piece, John. Don't let the bastards get you down.
68 - Ray Ellis
Masterful? In what way, may I ask? This is no way satire--and yes, I do know the difference between satire and humor. There's no irony here, no wit. All this i, really, is a frightened voice lashing desperately at a perceived boogeyman lurking in the closet. It doesn't even qualify as a preemptive strike against the boogeyman. It points to the author's paranoia at best. That his initial reaction to a tragedy like this would be how the "liberal madia" would report it speaks volumes.
Of course, he's beyond reproach. Any criticism leveled towards him is met with a childish stamp of the foot, and a whimpering "See I told you so."
Sad, sad.
69 - egads
Matthew 13:57 And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household."
70 - Ray Ellis
Which goes to prove things can always get more tasteless.
71 - STM
I suppose the key here is deciding whether it's satire or gibber.
72 - STM
I suppose what I find really distasteful is that yesterday and last night (our time given that we are a day ahead of the US), we had a whole lot of pictures come in from Minnesota on our wire feed that graphically document the scale of the horror, and I'll say again ... timing's everything.
73 - gator
You haven't even come close to accomplishing what you wanted. [Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]
74 - Jerry in Detroit
As an expatriate Minnesotan, I follow MN news with interest. What the Leftards are attempting to gloss over is the fact that they raided DOT funds for a light rail system. They desperately do not want people to find out that they undercut highway maintenance to do so.
75 - Rodney Welch
Two things are missing from this piece: a sense of pity and a sense of humor.