By Mary Mostert, Analyst, Banner of Liberty (www.bannerofliberty.com)
October 24, 2001
Less than a week ago the New York Post blaring headline, under pictures of House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Richard Gephardt, screamed "WIMPS! - The Leaders who Ran Away from Anthrax." And, of course, we heard a lot of talking heads pick up the "Wimps" label as they sneered at the members of the 435 members of the House of Representatives.
I wrote, following the report:
"Actually, the truth was that neither the members of the House nor of the Senate were in their offices yesterday. The 435 members of the house, and their staffs, were gone. The Senate decided to continue floor debates and committee meetings, but their offices, where anthrax could have come in by mail, were just as closed as the House offices."If both were closed, why were the Senators brave and the House Wimps? This was an outrageous slander against members of the House CREATED by the media. In a day of near total confusion, hatched and fed by misinformation and downright meanness by the media, Dan Rather, whose office has experienced an anthrax attack, told Larry King how "brave" his staff was and how "maximum skepticism toward government" was necessary in proper reporting."
It was a story that didn't have a long play. Yesterday the "wimp" story was overtaken by a story of two Capitol Hill mail handlers at the Brentwood postal center who died of anthrax over the week-end. A more subdued New York Post observed in the story about the deaths that "Last week, the House sent everyone home for an early weekend - drawing broad criticism amid calls for the public not to overreact. The Senate stayed in town." It didn't point out that the New York Post was among the nastiest of the critics, however.
NOW the media is criticizing the government for not being cautious enough where the Brentwood Postal center is concerned.
What, do you suppose, would have been the media comment if Hastert had insisted on the thousands of staff members working for House members stay and it had been a couple of congressional employees who had suddenly died over the week-end? That's not had to figure. We'd be hearing about how irresponsible it was to not take this anthrax threat seriously. In fact, that is exactly what is now being said about the Brentwood Post Office center.
Then there is Bill O'Reilly, of Fox News, America's newest Tabloid TV, who is working hard to convince us that millions of dollars contributed to help victims of the terrorists is being paid to, in his words "people working for the charities -- right now, there are 160 separate charities -- trucking costs, warehouse costs, check-writing costs, utilities, phones, on and on..." while thousands of victims are in dire need of help.
The records of tax-exempt charities usually are in the public domain. Exactly which charities are collecting 'millions" and are spending it on "trucking costs, warehouse costs, check writing costs, utilities, phones, on and on" and not helping any of the victims? Certainly good journalism would demand that that information be available BEFORE O'Reilly made the accusations public.
He said earlier on this issue,
"First, all of the charitable organizations must be proactive, that is they must seek out the families affected and not expect those grieving people to stand in line filling out forms. That's cruel. Go over to their house."It is estimated that 15,000 children are in need of financial assistance right now, assistance that has been provided by generous Americans, but much of the money remains tied up in red tape.
Now, let's see if we can mentally create the kind of service Bill O'Reilly is demanding. Those in need are expected to stay in their homes, not be expected to come out and apply for their collective 15,000 children in need, while not spending any of the contributed funds for their costs?
He has to know what he is demanding is idiotic. First the charitable organizations should expect some of those "forms"filled out that O'Reilly summarily dismisses. They SHOULD expect to prove they have a need and are actually who they say they are. Secondly, where are the grandparents of all those 15,000 children? I guarantee you, if one of my grandchildren were a child in need, I would not be waiting for some governmental or charitable organization. I would be helping them.
Of course, some of those 15,000 children may not have grandparents or may not have grandparents who could help. However, many of them surely had a parent with life insurance.
In my daughter's New Jersey neighborhood, there were 17 children who lost a parent in the World Trade Center and the entire neighborhood pulled together to make sure that those children were taken care of. I just don't believe that there are 15,000 children in need, ignored and abandoned by everyone except Bill O'Reilly. In fact, I think making a statement like that is a slap in the face to the thousands of caring, and unsung heroes, that have come forward to help grieving World Trade Center families. .
There may be a few families that have somehow been overlooked. But, using their problems to try to improve his ratings doesn't make O'Reilly much of a hero. He could have helped them, if they actually are in need, without trashing every charitable organization in New York and giving generous donors the notion that their gifts were in vain.
To comment: mmostert@bannerofliberty.com