ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Two names I wish would be forever and ever omitted from any news source -- Anna Nicole Smith and Brittany Spears. I've had it! I'm done with it! I DON'T CARE! And while I'm at it, why don't I just throw Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton into that same hopper.

It's not just the downward spiral of their lives that disinterests me, but all this publicity over bad behavior just scares me. It scares me to know this is what our society is craving -- intruding in on people's personal lives at any cost. I can't completely blame the media because trust me, if "WE THE PEOPLE" weren't so caught up on getting the dirt, the media wouldn't publish one iota of news about it. They give the people what they want because that's what sells. I'm not just talking tabloid news sources. These woman have been featured on top news programs and newspapers. Recently I was working out at the YMCA where there are 4 TV's you can watch while on the treadmill. CNN's top story, to which they devoted a full hour of coverage, was Anna Nicole's funeral. CNN?

We've stooped too far, America! In one way we idolize celebrities (author's note: I refuse to categorize Anna Nicole Smith as a celebrity but to simplify this writing, I won't make the distinction) and rush out to buy their endorsed products but yet, we triumph in their downfall. We want to crash their fairytale weddings crowning them as America's favorite couple but when the marriage ends in divorce we puff our chests out saying, "I knew that would never last."

The media publishes what sells. I get that. I get they have a job to do and money talks. I do get that however; they also have a moral and social responsibility of which should not be taken lightly. If they stop talking about Anna Nicole's funeral, people will forget about it and lose interest. Even if by some chance the results of Anna's Nicole's baby's DNA warrants top news coverage in our country, do we really need a minute by minute update? Do we need to have a play-by-play account? Do we needs these daily updates of what the judge ordered, when the DNA sample was taken, what country it will take place in, what lab will process it, how long it will take, who will oversee the process -- and these are just things I have heard in passing. Not only have I not followed this story, I've taken measures to avoid it but even still, I probably know more about Anna Nicole's funeral than my own maternal grandfather's.

There are so many things we can devote our time and attention to; soldiers and our military members getting insufficient health care, 9 million children in America have no health insurance, over 70% of African American babies are born to unwed mothers, there are over 350 orphans in Cambodia most of which will be sold into sex slavery or used as drug runners, Health care in America is DOUBLE the cost in any other country in the world, teachers and educators are underpaid and over worked, victims of Katrina are still displaced from their homes and out of work, globally 1.1 billion people have no access to safe drinking water --just to name a few. These things deserve our attention and our resources. I have other ideas too. What if the daily news programs would feature a "Dead Beat Dad of the Day" showing the picture and last known whereabouts of Dads that refuse to pay child support. Why don't they show pictures and profiles of local children that are awaiting adoption. Heck -- I'd rather see pets that are awaiting adoption on the news than Brittany Spears' shaven head!

Since age 10, after getting over my David Cassidy infatuation, I've never been a "fan" type person. I admire people's talents and work and I even enjoy an occasional issue of People magazine (especially the Best and Worse Dressed issues) but after that, I hope I give my time and my concerns to much bigger issues that plague our nation and our world. I'm not saying we can't enjoy Hollywood and celebrities and we can big HUGE fans of people but like anything, we can take things too far.

The fact that $30,000 was spent on Anna Nicole's funeral is not a testament to how loved or rich she was but a testament to, sadly, how shallow her life must have been. Sadder still, our society's thirst for stories such as these.