JonBenet Ramsey Is Not Lebanese

JonBenet Ramsey, a 6-year-old beauty queen from Boulder, Colorado, was found dead in her family's basement on December 26, 1996. Ten years later, one John Mark Karr, confessed that he was the perpetrator. What's important to note is not that JonBenet had a tortured existence, her parents forcing her into the pageant world that never should have been (for growing, developing children), or that the crime has never been solved, despite overly suspicious parents on par with OJ. Rather, what's important, is that 10 short years later, the ridiculously random John Mark Karr is not only able to make headlines, but sweep the media in a frenzy, digging up old stories on the still-deceased JonBenet, examining Karr's background and even giving a detailed video presentation on Karr's flight back home (first class, no less) and dinner. No, this isn't about the media's odd fascination with a murdered beauty queen child despite the crimes committed against many other less wealthy, less white children. This is about the undue attention given to a random man with a random confession concerning a random case that is decidedly dated, unchanged, and unimportant.
No, no, no, dying six year olds are important. They're all important, regardless of whether they're beauty queens or toy-playing, chocolate-eating, preschool-going (read: normal) children. While the peculiar treatment of JonBenet by her parents is enough of a story by itself, the media has taken it upon themselves to make JonBenet a national icon, to shroud the parents in shadow, to report the appetite of John Mark Karr. JonBenet has perhaps earned her place in child psychology text books and the What-Not-To-Do parental guide books, but national icon is pushing it a tad bit. Especially in light of what happened only a week before Karr's image took the news by storm.
In July of 2006, Hezbollah crossed into Israel from Lebanon and kidnapped 2 Israeli soldiers, killing 3 others. Israel immediately declared it an act of war and enabled a "severe and harsh" military response. In short: Hezbollah launches as many rockets as possible, each strong enough to knock down a wall. Israeli bombings levels airports, apartments, hospitals, cities. Nations of the world unite together and communicate to Israel through the UN that their response is disproportionate. Israel returns the reply by killing 3 UN observers on the Lebanon-Israel border (by accident, of course. Those laser-guided bombs have a mind of their own, sometimes!) The UN Security Council attempts to pass a motion condeming Israel's actions. The USA vetoes the attempt and President Bush states that "Israel has a right to defend itself." (Afterall, the USA can't go into Afghanistan and Iraq and then tell everyone else to never do the same) Jump ahead one more month. Israel has finally ran out of targets and agrees to a cease fire with Hezbollah. Hezbollah is still intact, the two Israeli abductees are still in their possession, and 1,000 Lebanese civilians have been killed. Israel lost 163. According to a UN survey, nearly one third of Lebanese casualties were children. Roughly, that amounts to 333 children. The conflict is the first of it's kind, to kill more children than combatants. As far as it is known, none of the children are rich, white, beauty queens from Boulder, Colorado.
On August 14th, 2006, a cease fire was finally organized by the UN and agreed upon by Israel and Lebanon. Israel is slowly withdrawing their forces, Lebanon is calculating how much it will cost to rebuild Beirut, and the rest of the world is angered by the USA's support of Israel. A week later, John Mark Karr confesses to the murder of JonBenet Ramsey and replaces the Lebanon-Israel conflict on TV screens everywhere. The American masses huddle together and gossip about how terrible Karr most certainly, and whether he is surely guilty of the crime. The media assures the public that this matter is of upmost importance. A friend approaches me.

"Did you hear about the JonBenet thing?"

"Hear about it? They're shoving it down my throat. Karr ate pizza on the flight over. It's such a waste."

"Oh yea, I know! Do you think he did it?"

"Who cares. Did you hear about the Lebanon thing?"

"Lebanon what?"

"There was a 34 day conflict between Israel and Lebanon. A thousand civilians killed. More kids than soldiers. Terrible thing. Bush supported Israel."

"Oh, alright. So do you think Karr did it?"

And we wonder why the Middle East hates us. Sure, we can obsess over 6-year-old beauty queens and examine why her parents are so deranged. But it's probably better that we look in the mirror and figure out why we are so deranged. It's a shame that JonBenet had such a terrible existence, but the 300+ dead children over in Lebanon should perhaps take priority on the news, after 10 years. It's time that people stop scratching their heads when they see something like 9-11 happens and ask themselves, "Why do they hate us?! They're surely evil and dislike freedom!"
No, no, I think they just prefer their countries peaceful and bombed-less.


DNA tests today revealed that John Mark Karr is innocent.

UN inspectors are pretty sure the Israelis killed the 1,000 Lebanese. With US approval. Despite the ignorance of Americans everywhere.

Initiation

It is with great contempt that I find the motivation to exact a spot on the internet in order to present my thoughts in a clear and concise manner to the masses. No secret to those that know me, I persist in this vilest of worlds out of mere spite more than any forlorn hope for a better world. My angst, however, has gotten the better of me, and driven me to do this; the admittedly contrived and clichéd approach for internet publishing: blogging. I am no fan of bloggers, as they are, for the most part, pretentious, know-it-all intellectual elites who place themselves on a pedestal over the common man (nevermind the raw irony that the blogosphere gives voice to the common man, and that bloggers are nothing more than that; common). Not one to proclaim myself innocent, I am indeed myself a pretentious, know-it-all, intellectual elitist, with a dash of asshole to boot. Regardless, it is with great disdain that I resign myself to the blogosphere, so that my voice too can be drowned out by the wild diatribes of others. And so, my blogging days begins with quiet resentment, for myself and everyone else.