Weather. . .or Not

If you want to talk about the war, just log on to any e-mail list, newsgroup,
or message board. Or you can turn on any TV channel, tune into any radio
station, or simply stop by any water cooler or other place two or more people
are gathered. Suffice to say that the war is the topic of discussion no
matter where you go.

Of course the media, which makes its living from hot topics of discussion, is
using every means to capitalize on it. The news is all about the war- poor
little Elizabeth Smart and all of the Democrats jockeying for a place in the
next election have been lost amidst the bombs and the bloodshed. Suddenly, every
up and down in the stock market is attributable to the war. Even the sports
casters find some way to work the war into the events they cover.

What gets me is how the weather forecasters feel they have to get in on the
action. Now, unlike the other facets of the media, the weather forecast serves a
very focused and specific purpose which is to tell me what I need to wear before
venturing outside. That's it. So why does every meteorologist from the prime
time Weather Channel bleach blonde right down to some guy on a 5 watt AM
station think I, or anyone else in this great nation, cares about the weather in
Iraq? What impact could it possibly have on us? Anyone who is traveling there
in the near future is probably doing do under orders and will go regardless of
how inclement the weather might be. I am sure the people who are already over
there care but, last I heard, they were more concerned with bullets and bombs
than with rain and thunder and I doubt that would change even if they did have access to Ferd Burfle on WXXX
in Pig Holler Iowa.

As for me, I am no longer going to endure the forecasts for cities who's
names I cannot even pronounce whilst trying to glean some faint glimmer of what
the Missouri spring holds in store for me. I will just look out the window