THE ROYCROFT REPORT

“We are in, right, now…the right eye wall, no doubt about that…there you see the surf,” CNN reporter said breathlessly. “That tells a story right there.” Stumbling and taking shelter next to a building… “This is our protection from the wind … It’s been truly remarkable to watch the power of the ocean here.” In the background you see folks walking, laughing, and a guy on a bike rides by waving as if out for a casual ride in the rain. This is Long Island in the midst of hurricane Irene. Rolling across the bottom of the screen, “Breaking News: Irene Batters Long Island” soon to be replaced by a message from the Federal Emergency Management Agency: “Stay Inside, Stay Safe!”

The media and the United States government tried so hard to hype up this storm as Americans went about their lives as usual.

Our wonderful Homeland Security chief, Janet Napolitano declared that there was “a ways to go with Irene” but “with the evacuations and other precautions taken we have dramatically decreased the risk to life”.

Apparently, last weeks earthquake didn’t meet up with the medias or our governments expectations of heavy damage and loss of life, but the hurricane surely would. It didn’t.

Obama seen on the news calming our east coast citizens and assuring them that he would save the day. In the back of his mind you know he is thinking about what happened to George Bush in the aftermath of Katrina. This was not going to be a 2005 Bush moment for Obama, hell no. “Obama takes charge” read the headline of one wire service story.

News footage of television reporters putting themselves in the most extreme danger possible in an effort just to get that dramatic hurricane live shot was at times laughable.

Then we have Tucker Brown, a reporter for FOX 5 doing a live shot from Ocean City, Maryland, who will go down in media history for the best live shot ever broadcast on television. Watch the video as Tucker Brown describes his surroundings as he stands proud, being beaten by waves of brown sea foam. He fights the waves describing the foam as “having a sandy consistency” … “it doesn’t taste great.” He goes on to say that it is up to his knees.

Little does Tucker know that he is being pounded by waves of raw foamy sewage. Yes my friends, Tucker is literally standing knee deep in shit!                                     – John Roycroft

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