Nine years old.

It is, duh, Tuesday as I post this. This piece was written over the weekend, mere hours after the incident took place. As you read it, bear this in mind - it is a commentary on a breaking news piece and less of a commentary (but still relevant) on later news coverage.

Didja hear a 9 year old girl was killed and a federal judge were killed in a shooting Arizona? If you listened to and read the same news accounts I ingested, you'd maybe find that information down in the story.

Why? Why were these names buried in the news that a Congressman was shot in the head, and expected to recover as I type this? Two days after the shooting, we started getting stories about the other victims.

Do you know the Congressman's name?

Warning: What follows is not a fair series of questions. Is the life of a child worth less than the health of a member of Congress? Really? What was the child's name?

Oooooo. Tolja it wasn't fair.

How many children are killed annually in the United States by violence?

There are 435 members of the US House of Representatives. There are millions of children in the US.

I'll bet there's a fair chance you know who the Congressman was married to. That was certainly mentioned over and over.

Do you know if the dead judge was married? The media accounts I got over the weekend did not say.

Four other people died in the shooting. Wotta ya know about them?

Didja know a bunch of other people were wounded in the shooting? Didja know the shooter still had ammo in his gun when he was tackled? Didja know the Congressman is a gun owner and supports, mostly, the right to keep and bear arms?

What was the little girl's name?

The sound you hear is me shifting gears on you. What is the purpose of the media?

To make money.

How does the media do this?

By providing YOU information you are interested in knowing.

Just because you have the right to know does not mean you want to know. The media is here to serve you a meal of knowledge. It's a buffet. Who is at fault is everyone goes to the dessert bar, eschewing the fresh veggies?

Hope your transmission can handle this gear grinder. Ready to shoot the messenger? I put here the thoughts that are running through the minds of many people in this nation as they consider the shooting in Arizona. "Hey. She's a congressman. Being shot in the head will certainly improve her ability to serve in that office."

As you line me up in your sights, I remind you I only put down what many people are thinking. You ain't gotta like it. You ain't gotta agree with it. I do not give you my thoughts about the sentiment so expressed. G'head and shoot. The mirror will only shatter.

So can you remember the Congressman's name now? I'll give you a hint: Years ago she was a 9 year old girl.

Reality is harsh.