The stupid, it burns.
As a general rule, I try not to watch "Fox and Friends", since I like my brain and prefer not to damage it. But yes, good ol' Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson and Brian Kilmeade can be unintentionally hilarious. And since they sadly have over a million viewers daily, it's important to call them out when they say something that's not just ignorant, but down right offensive...
Yesterday morning, the execrable Eric Bolling from FNC's "The Five" was sitting on the comfy couch with our three Pulitzer Prize winning journalists. Eric was extremely worked up as usual (try some decaf, dude), this time about the latest weekly job numbers. It seems that first time jobless claims spiked to 439,000, when the projected number was at 375,000.
Now take a second, scratch your head or some other favorite body part, and think about what might have caused jobless numbers to unexpectedly increase. Perhaps there was a recent natural disaster, say a huge hurricane on the East Coast. Maybe it caused a shit ton of damage and destruction.
Well if you thought that, you're wrong, according to Excitable Eric and the Three Mouseketeers. No, the "real" reason is that President Obama and the Bureau of Labor Statistics were cooking the books. But of course.
Here's the video, courtesy of The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell. It's worth watching the entire 5:41, but here's one of the money quotes at 00:54...
http://www.nbcnews.com/...
Bolling: "This is the first week after the election. Does anyone find it odd that in the weeks leading into the election, the number went down?"
Well, sure, crazy Fox Hole wingnuts thought it was odd. The rest of us called it "good news".
But right after that, Boy Wonder Brian Kilmeade provides the piece de resistance.
Kilmeade: "Now, Sandy. How can you possibly say that it has anything to do with first time jobless claims? When a storm hits, you get fired?"
Now, one might be tempted to laugh at the sheer stupidity of that statement. But frankly, it pisses me off.
I live in northern New Jersey, very close to the Hudson River and Manhattan. For those of you who didn't experience it, Hurricane Sandy was FOR REAL. I have never experienced a weather phenomenon like that in my 42 years on this Earth. The winds were unreal, and scary as hell. I was one of the few fortunate ones who never lost power, but the area below me, less than half a mile away, was flooded. Power lines were down, tree limbs and huge chunks of debris littered the streets.
And heck, forget me. You've all seen the horrific pictures and footage of the storm-ravaged Jersey Coast and Staten Island, and some of the surrounding areas. You've heard that over 100 people died. Some of you are probably still suffering during the aftermath, and my thoughts and best wishes are with you.
But the shiny trinkets at Fox and Friends couldn't be bothered with any of that. Despite performing their show less than 10 miles from the 2012 version of Ground Zero.
I was so ticked off when I saw Lawrence's Rewrite, I shot an e-mail to our insipid trio. No, they might not be able to read anything that's not on a teleprompter, but maybe they accidentally hired a staff worker who has a soul. Maybe.
Dear Steve, Gretchen and Brian,
I freely admit that I do not watch your show, but I honestly have several friends that do. I bear no personal ill will against any of you.
That being said, your piece this morning on the unemployment increase was disgusting. It was, at best, the height of ignorance. More than that, it was offensive to thousands of New York and New Jersey residents, including some who watch your show.
No Brian, people don't get fired because of a hurricane. But if the building they work in no longer exists, it's tough to go to work.
Never mind me. Keep on pitching your alternative reality about Obama and the Federal Government and the Bureau of Labor Statistics cooking the books. Because that worked so well on Election Day...
Sincerely,
It's probably a futile gesture, since the powers that be at Fox News clearly don't have a conscience. But if you're as angry as me and feel like pissing into the wind, please don't hesitate to let them know what you think about their callous disregard for those affected by Hurricane Sandy.
friends@foxnews.com