The Right Perspective

Last week, as U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was announcing changes at the very top of the American military chain of command, some of the cable news networks cut away from Gates to cover the latest in the Paris Hilton saga.

In other words, leading members of the news media thought that more viewers would be interested in whether she spent the night at home or in the Los Angeles County Jail than in who would be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Were they right? Has it really gotten to the point where the fate of a completely inconsequential "celebrity" is of more interest than important changes in the nation's leadership? For a couple of days last week you would have thought so. It was "all Paris, all the time."

Clearly, there was plenty of coverage of international events, including the conflicts in the Middle East. But it was disconcerting and a little discouraging to see the attention being paid to the little Hollywood melodrama.

The importance of decisions made by our national leaders was brought home this week by the deployment of Waynesboro's Army National Guard unit. With initial orders for training in Fort Bliss, Texas, the C 1/214th Field artillery is expected to ultimately be sent to the Middle East.

We're pretty sure that the Guardsmen and their families are seeing things from the right perspective. They have learned what the really important things in life are, just as thousands of other military families across the country have learned over the years. While juicy tidbits of gossip might be titillating and distracting for a little while, the decisions made by the President and his advisors have real impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.

The local men and women who are joining the fight in the Middle East do so with the full support of their fellow citizens. The send-off they received this week will be equaled, we're sure, by the welcome when they return.