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WEDNESDAY February 11, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels January 14, 2004 The Powderhorn It helps to remember to be mad Peter Hahnloser In this business, sometimes I have to be reminded that I'm pissed off. The daily stream of news allows for a sort of complacency - things aren't going so well, but then they never are. The shock value of truly horrifying news becomes dulled by the constant onslaught, and I find myself reading stories about how X number of American soldiers were killed in Iraq. It would be enough to upset me, if it weren't for the fact that I read the same story the day before. Eight killed in a helicopter crash. Six Iraqi civilians killed when a bomb exploded near a mosque. It's become formulaic - throw the number killed next to the cause, and the first paragraph is done. There's no time to stop and think about what's actually happening, and heaven forbid I let any sort of bias get in the way. But the fact of the matter is, regardless of my position as a member of the media, I'm still a person. I read these stories, and they make me sick. In a way, it's worse for the simple fact that my job entails not caring. Thick skin I don't mean that in a truly literal sense - anyone who doesn't care is unlikely to have the news judgement required - but I often have to pretend that the abhorrent isn't shocking in order to get through the day without throwing up. People I've met who have been in the business far longer than I have the thick skin required of those who read and print the daily news. I often like to think I have it, too, but I'm just not that jaded. A story that came in on Saturday after the paper was already on the press introduced me to the Web site bushin30seconds.org, which had been featuring finalists for a TV advertising spot that will run around President Bush's State of the Union address. The site now features four winners - it's safe to say none of them are flattering. Get to the point Thirty seconds really isn't a large span of time, so the people who entered the contest had to get in, know what they were doing, and get out in a hurry (apparently, ersatz filmmakers can accomplish this three-part mission better than President Bush). Many of the entries focused on a single topic: the budget deficit, the war in Iraq, tax cuts for the rich, Bush's general inability to tell the truth - pretty much the usual suspects. Each of the finalists was able to bring the chosen topic into specific relief, with enough punch to leave a lasting impression. Some were funny, others were solemn. They all sent the same message: Re-elect this man at your own extreme peril. An online movement The contest was organized by MoveOn.org, a Web site that was started druing the impeachment process of President Clinton. The aim was simple - censure Clinton and then move on. Obviously, such an aim isn't as topical as it once was, so the people behind the site have shifted to providing information about the political process, with a decidedly liberal slant. According to MoveOn.org, more than 2 million people use the site to further their political activism - suddenly the online campaigning by Howard Dean seems not so farfetched. The envelope please Bushin30seconds.org now features the winner of the contest, a spot focusing on how today's children will have to pay for the tax cuts and deficit spending the administration has pushed through. It wasn't my favorite to win, but it does a good job of getting its message across. Winners in three other categories are also available for download, and they're worth the time. Sometimes you have to be reminded of how you really feel. Peter Hahnloser is the News Editor of the Ashland Daily Tidings. He can be reached at 482-3456, x.3021 or at [email protected] DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: A new improved archive search is coming! Look for it in mid-February! .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams