New low

In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Bush outlined a list of pretty serious changes he'd make to our nation and the world. Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a series of budget cutbacks that will critically reduce Medicaid and student loans, among other key government spending measures. What's the lead story on CNN?

Drug-smuggling puppies.

Yes, that's right. Drug smugglers torture and kill people all the time, intimidating some enough to ingest drugs in bags that, when improperly sealed, sometimes lead to toxic and even deadly overdoses. Daily human suffering - that's not news. But puppies? Oh, won't someone please think of the puppies! According to CNN, this is "a new low."

What I find most offensive is the implication explicit statement that the puppies are somehow more innocent than your average human coke mule. "The puppies, however, had little say in the matter," CNN says, as if your average poor bastard coerced into doing it does have a choice. I mean, no kid says "I want to eat baggies of heroin for a living when I grow up."

And in case you think this wasn't the lead story, I give unto you this screenshot:



If you follow the link to the full-size image, take a look at the other headlines - notice anything missing?