Sensationalism vs. Reason: The Journey from Blame to Blessing

On a recent road trip, during my 75-minute workout at the hotel fitness center, I noticed one of the TVs was tuned to Fox News. For more than an hour, their only focus was attempting to affix blame on Hillary Clinton for the four deaths in Benghazi 2 ½ years prior.

It’s interesting at no time during the broadcast was there any acknowledgement that while they were discussing Benghazi, four more Americans were shot on American soil, as there has been approximately every 75 minutes for many years now. In fact, more than 80,000 Americans have died from gunshots on our streets and within our homes and schools since the Benghazi attack, more Americans as we lost in the entire Viet Nam War.

Why is it that when 4 Americans are killed by foreigners, it demands top attention from the tabloids years later, but when Americans kill each other on a daily basis, its not worthy of attention from these sensationalist “news” programs? 

Some would say it’s more than just the deaths, but the suspicion that Clinton ignored the need for additional support for the Benghazi compound.

Does the fact that she was responsible for more than 270 embassies and consulates at once leave room for the possibility of an isolated attack in a dangerous part of the world?

Does it make any difference that security upgrades had already been made to the Benghazi compound, and when Clinton requested more resources to protect embassies like Benghazi, such funding was denied by Congress as being too expensive?

Does it matter that the Republican-led House Select Committee, among others, has launched 8 investigations of the Benghazi incident, with 13 hearings and 25,000 pages of reports, and that in all cases it was determined Clinton, the military, the intelligence network, and the CIA all acted appropriately?

And isn’t ironic, that far from being an oversight by the Secretary of State, the reasons given by the attackers at Benghazi for their assault of the Embassy was to defend against the insults of a conservative Florida pastor Terry Jones’ promotion of a film humiliating their spiritual leader, even after the State Department asked him to back off because it was putting Americans overseas in danger?  You may recall that Pastor Jones' previous actions in promoting the burning of Korans also led to 7 other American deaths.

I’m not promoting Clinton here or bashing conservatives; I am advocating for rational thinking and respect.

We must rise out of the immaturity of tunnel vision, misplaced anger, and petty attack of one another. Let’s support each other in growing up. Let us all, republicans and democrats, quit trying to find fault with each other, and do what good American leaders do.  They work together and cooperate for a future that benefits all Americans.

Let’s support politicians that lead with reason.  In order to do this, we as voters must lead with reason and level-headedness first, for it is us who listen to ill-informed “news” tabloids, and it is us who elect those without sound judgment. 

Profound disrespect from Pastor Jones and misguided film makers led to American deaths on more than one occasion.  Profound respect for each other can lead to saving lives in the future.