A news clip was playing on my laptop of some pundit spouting that surviving the criminal activity of the current administration reemphasized “the beauty of the Constitution.” This type of cliches-by-the-ton journalism puts the pork chops on the table for Washington insiders like Bob Woodward and Susan Page.

The main takeaway from the recent election was that any traces of an independent, investigative press are gone. Fox News was only the tip of the iceberg, it seems people now selectively believe what they read on social media. Find a story that conforms to your point of view and you’ve discovered the truth. The age of disinformation is upon us. I know because I read it online.

Television news media is not a free press. They are co-opted by their corporate owners. Every election cycle races are too close to call up to Election Day. No sooner do the polls close than the incumbent is the projected winner with 70% of the vote. The media manufactures tight races to increase ad revenue. South Carolina Senate race anyone?

How long would a news division be around if they ran an expose on scandalous prescription drug pricing fueling advertising buys. Or a hit piece on fraud in the NFL after their Entertainment Division spent a billion dollars on rights to broadcast games,

Almost to a person the owners of American sport franchises are Trump Republicans. They subscribe to the same ethos: win at any cost.

These great Americans who never disrespect the flag, goddamnit, show no respect for individual liberty or justice. Especially when it gets in the way of making money. Patriotism is only prized when it throws the lemmings into lockstep.

When Bob Kraft goes to drain a little pecker snot then gets caught soliciting prostitution and abetting human trafficking, he spends hundreds of thousands on legal fees to obliterate the American Justice System. The misdemeanor is dropped and his record, if not his drawers, remains spotless. Talk about the wisdom of the founding fathers.

I watched a couple minutes of a NFL game.a few weeks ago. I saw a thrilling play that started off tentatively with the quarterback dumping off to a wideout just off the line of scrimmage. The receiver took a couple of steps downfield where he was met by a defender. Somehow he evaded that one tackle then made a 20 yard gallop into the endzone.

The play showed what an art form television coverage of football has become. The zooming in and out on the field as the play developed. The cut to a triumphal close-up when the receiver scores. 

Equally impressive was the audio. The dull murmuring of anticipation at the line of scrimmage followed by the disappointing moan of a short gain. When the tackle is broken, however, a sudden roar crescendoes until the goal line is crossed

It was all so beautifully captured. Until the camera pans out afterwards to show an empty stadium.

It was like learning there was a laugh track to Leave It to Beaver. If that sound of emotion isn’t coming from the stands where else could it be sourced? The linemen’s asses?

No wonder those guys are paid so much money.