Years ago, my great-aunt Annie Goodman was named Mother of the Year in New Hampshire. She was the mother of 13 children, and despite the family's very limited financial resources, saw to it that 12 of them made it to college and went on to be productive members of society. That's the kind of story that, in the good old days, the CBS Evening News might have featured on Mothers Day. But times have changed. A lot. So where did the Evening News send its video bouqets during the Mother's Day edition? To the draft-Al-Gore movement, and to growers of eco-friendly roses.
View video here.
First up was a segment focusing on members of DraftGore.com. The reporter excitedly proclaimed that "their website boasts 70,000 signatures on its draft-Gore petition." We were informed that "the L.A. group meets once a month" at an outdoor market. Impressive! My favorite member was the one pictured here, Derek Bevil, looking like a young Gerard Depardieu. CBS reporter Bill Whitaker, after running footage of George H.W. calling Gore "Ozone Man," claimed that there's been "a big change since the days when he was mocked as a boring fanatic." Guess what, Bill? In the eyes of millions of Americans, Al remains a . . . boring fanatic. Enthused Whitaker: "he's so hot, he's cheered on one of the coolest shows on TV." Cut to clip of Al on the Daily Show. 
Later, in the place of a traditional Mother's Day segment, we were treated to a piece on earth-friendly rose growing. Host Russ Mitchell introduced the segment: "and of course it's Mothers Day, the day florist live for, with Americans spending $2.3 billion on flowers for the moms in their lives. But with consumers more and more conscious of the environment than ever, the big new color in the floral industry is . . . green." Cut to reporter Anthony Mason who, after showing pretty shots of flowers, somberly informed us that "there's a less romantic side to all this beauty." Cue the CEO of something called "Organic Bouquet" who warned us "whether it's chemicals and how they affect the environment, or how the farm workers are treated, or the ecology of the farms, there's just a whole lot of issues with flowers." What a Mother's Day downer!Then it was on to footage of an enlightened guy, an Ecuadorian flower grower. "We really believe in doing good for the planet, and doing good for the people who work for us." Mason proudly informed us that the grower's got "more organic and more fair trade certifications than any grower on the continent."
Great. But on Mother's Day, rather than Al Gore and organic farming, couldn't CBS have found some time to celebrate . . . mothers?
Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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Well mother deserve "green"
April 18, 2008 - 11:03 ET by GordmanWell mothers deserve "green" flowers, these are the special pure flowers. I wouldn't want to discuss this as a business, Mother's day shouldn't be a business opportunity, it should be a special cherishing day for all the moms in the world. It doesn't really matter what are your Mothers day gifts, the most important think is to show her you care about her and you appreciate everything she does for you...
Pied Piper AlBore stealing Mo
May 13, 2007 - 22:56 ET by SnowWhitePied Piper AlBore stealing Mom's thunder. That's low! I think these people have been smelling too much of that fresh horse manure. They've all gone mad! Happy Green...oops...I mean Mother's Day Mom.
“whether it’s chemicals a
May 13, 2007 - 23:05 ET by alamojb“whether it’s chemicals and how they affect the environment…”
Unfortunately, the enviro’s embraced the “Precautionary Principal” and threw out “Risk Management” so we never really know if there is a REAL issue in the way a given “chemical” is being used.
How long will it be before they realize that Solar Panels are made from, oh my, "CHEMICALS"?
One of the pictures is mis-c
May 13, 2007 - 23:16 ET by dahliatraversOne of the pictures is mis-captioned. That's not Derek Bevil, it's a high school picture of Gerard Depardieu.
"And Jerry Depardieu as
May 13, 2007 - 23:18 ET by botg"And Jerry Depardieu as the meathead"
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.
GMTA.. You did read where
May 14, 2007 - 05:46 ET by Mark FinkelsteinGMTA.. You did read where I wrote "Derek Bevil, looking like a young Gerard Depardieu," no?
No, sorry, missed that! You
May 14, 2007 - 23:03 ET by dahliatraversNo, sorry, missed that! You get full credit; you said it first.
It's interesting that CBS, th
May 14, 2007 - 00:07 ET by jdhawkIt's interesting that CBS, the most liberal of the drive by TV media, would shill for AlBore. It tells me that not everyone is "comfortable" with Shillary, even after the announcement that Bill "the serial philanderer: Clintoon wll be "ambassador" to the world if she is elected.
And they wonder why nobody wa
May 14, 2007 - 01:03 ET by Ryeguy5049And they wonder why nobody watches the news anymore???
When they sit around and discuss what to air, who thinks that this is a good topic to discuss??? What's wrong with an uplifting piece on a mother that helps benefit her family in a positive way?
Uhh Ryeguy
May 14, 2007 - 08:38 ET by SportPoliticsWell, that might be a stay at home Mommie with children that weren't aborted, and it might actually be a family with a Daddy, so we can't do that. Orphans don't have Mothers, so that kind of stuff is out, haven't you heard, our most progressive schools have banned Mothers day, please don't be a backwards living male neanderthal.
It's tough to show Mothers nowadays, it's a scourge on all libs in the msm, and of course all the single mothers, and divorced, and those without good mother/child relationships, and all those who had abortions would be offended, and in effect derided for their choices to control their own bodies and their own lives. We won't make them cry.
It's much better to make all the good Mothers that actually recieved flowers feel a little guilty, so that those whom didn't aren't offended by their loss, but have something to cheer about anyway, bringing down that luckier and more successful or loved Mom, putting the unfair advantage to a level playing field.
I voted Al Gore for best steward and present to Mother earth, our one true goddess and giver of life, Mother of us all. Now, all kneel on her breast for the solstice new age karmic spiritual pledge for peace and environmental purity.
How long will it be before
May 14, 2007 - 08:10 ET by motherbeltHow long will it be before they realize that Solar Panels are made from, oh my, "CHEMICALS"? -
And that the terrible pollutant, CO2, that we exhale, is actually the lifeblood of trees...
And
that to save trees from being used to make paper towels, we use
electric hand-dryers that probably get their power from burning coal....
And
that "organic" fertilizer, (manure), in addition to harboring all kinds
of illness-causing germs, is actually eventually broken down into the
very same chemicals that make up "chemical" fertilizers.....
Well, now, to salve our consciences, we can worry about the next great threat to the environment and human dignity......environment-destroying, sweatshop flowers!!