Dangerous Duty

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As I am sure you heard, over the weekend two ABC journalists — including anchor Bob Woodruff — were seriously hurt when an IED exploded in Iraq. Trying to bring you directly to the war is very dangerous. Journalists do it because they know it is important. They know the risks, but they do it for us. These two ABC journalists are not the first journalists to get hurt and probably not the last. Some journalists have lost their lives bringing you war coverage. Some are hostages with uncertain future. But, as a citizen and as a viewer, I am grateful to them for taking the risks so that we can know.

I am hopeful — like everyone else — that recovery for the two ABC journalists will be swift and complete. I don't know the extent of their injuries, but the injuries sound significant.

One other thing: We cannot forget the many members of the military who make the sacrifice to serve under very dangerous conditions. Many get hurt resulting in permanent injuries. Some lose limbs. Some never come home. This is a good time (although every time is a good time) to stop and acknowledge the members of the military who are hurt or dead. I am not sure how we should do it, but we should try to do something. Any ideas?

Monday night our show airs from New York City. I hope you watch. I am headed to New York on a late morning flight because one of our guests would prefer not to do the interview with us by satellite. We can't always accommodate guests' requests, but when we can, we do. If an interview is done by satellite (remotely), the guest stares into a blank camera or into a TV monitor where he sees himself. In addition to seeing yourself, there is a few second-delay that can be disorienting to the guest who has not done television before (or often.) The remote guest has a choice between a blank camera or seeing himself — most select the blank camera. After you have done enough television, you don't notice the few second delay. Tonight's New York guest is going to provide us with more information about the night (really early morning) of July 5 when George Smith disappeared.

When I am on the set with a guest who has not been on our show before, I am almost always asked, "Where do I look?" I respond, "Ignore the cameras and just talk to me. Our cameras will find you. Our camera operators are pros, they find us."

Now for some e-mails from you:

E-mail No. 1

Greta,
I was SO excited to discover GretaCast today! I received a 60GB iPod for Christmas and after loading everything I own onto it and downlodaing some of my favorite TV shows, it was still extremely empty. Now I'll have all kinds of interesting stuff to put on there.
Thanks!
Sandy L.
Washington, D.C.

ANSWER: I am glad you are downloading "GretaCast" — thanks!

E-mail No. 2

Greta,
Isn't it funny that none of the 'experts' on your show have so far referred to the FBI (or whoever else is investigating the case) of George Smith, "keystone cops" or some other derogatory name? They were sure quick to do that with the case in Aruba. Looks to me that this case of Mr. Smith should be a whole lot easier to solve than the disappearance of Natalee. There's oodles of evidence and the crime scene itself is known! What's taking so long?
Hans Trinler
NY

E-mail No. 3

It was obvious, with Bernie's comment to Ted, that Bernie was annoyed with Ted's interruption. So what, they're friends. Friends say how they feel to one another. Some of your readers need to lighten up a little; how many folks haven't heard that word...and worse? Love your show and the panel.
Judy Wittmann
Palm Harbor, FL

E-mail No. 4

Hi Greta,
I agree with you about Neil Entwistle. Because he isn't coming back to the USA for the funerals, he looks very suspicious.
Also about George Smith, I don't think it would be a suicide after just getting married. He looked very happy in his photos before his death.
I thought the interaction between Bernie and Ted was cute! With all people missing, people found dead it was nice to have a little joking for a change.
Libby
WI

E-mail No. 5

Hi Greta, I’m a big fan of your show and watch you every night. I wanted to point something out to you that doesn’t seem like it got noticed yet. It’s been said that the Entwhistle family had just bought their house about 10 days before the murder took place. It has also been said that the doors to the house were locked when they found the bodies. I don’t think the guy is innocent but it would have been real easy for, either the person that sold the house, or somebody the seller knew to keep a key to the house and obviously could have locked the door behind them. So it could have gone like this; Neil gets a call and has to go out of town to London. He buys a plane ticket two days before he leaves and whoever has the key to the house is watching and waiting for the chance to pull off this crime. Because I’m sure they would have already had something like this in mind if they kept the keys to the house. So when Neil leaves the person lets himself in and does his deed and then locks up behind himself and nobody knows what hit them. Then everybody believes the husband committed the crimes. I admit I don’t believe it happened this way but it could have. I only wish I could have a few minutes alone with the person that did this. By the way, I have always gotten the locks changed every time I bought a house for exactly this reason. Thanks Greta and keep doing what you’re doing.
Billy Colson
Conroe, TX

Here is an article I am certain will provoke strong reactions — some will cheer it and some will condemn it. I doubt anyone reading it will feel ambivalent:

By Ian James, Associated Press Writer

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Cindy Sheehan, the peace activist who just announced that she is weighing a run for Senate, plans to protest again outside President Bush's Texas ranch, Venezuela's president said Sunday with Sheehan by his side.

Hugo Chavez, his arm around Sheehan's shoulders, told a group of activists that Sheehan had told him that during Holy Week, in April, "she is going to put up her tent again in front of Mr. Danger's ranch."

"She invited me to put up a tent. Maybe I'll put up my tent also," Chavez said, to applause from an audience invited to his weekly broadcast on the final day of the World Social Forum, an annual gathering of anti-war and anti-globalization activists.

Sheehan, whose 24-year-old soldier son, Casey, was killed in Iraq in 2004, thanked Chavez for "supporting life and peace" and she was impressed by his sincerity.

"He said, 'Why don't I run for president?"' she said. "I just laughed."

Sheehan, who lives in Berkeley, Calif., said Saturday that she is strongly considering challenging Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein because the lawmaker will not support calls to immediately bring the troops home.

Sheehan, 48, said running in the Democratic primary in June would help "bring attention to all the peace candidates in the country."

Sheehan, who was visiting Venezuela for the six-day forum, told The Associated Press that she will decide whether to run after talking with her three adult children in California.

Sheehan accused Feinstein of being out of touch with Californians on the war in Iraq.

Feinstein's campaign manager, Kam Kuwata, said the senator did not support Bush and felt she had been misled by his administration. With troops committed, Feinstein believes immediate withdrawal is unworkable, he said.

"Senator Feinstein's position is, 'Let's work toward quickly turning over the defense of Iraq to Iraqis so that we can bring the troops home as soon as possible,"' Kuwata said in an interview on Saturday.

On Sunday, when Chavez passed the microphone to Sheehan on his show, she blamed Bush for the killings of innocents in Iraq.

Noting that the singer and activist Harry Belafonte recently called Bush "the greatest terrorist in the world" on Chavez's show, Sheehan said: "I agree with him."

Chavez said his government would help protest the war in Iraq by supporting a drive to gather petitions and delivering them to the U.S. Embassy in Caracas. Chavez, who before the war in Iraq had friendly relations with Saddam Hussein, has been a frequent and strident critic of the war.

Here's another article that caught my attention:

Slain reporter's widow says she forgives husband's killers

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — The wife of slain newspaper reporter Philip True says she has forgiven the men who killed her husband while he trekked through Mexico to report on an isolated tribe.

Martha True's husband, Philip True, was killed in December 1998 while traveling alone through the Sierra Madre mountains.

While exploring the area, he encountered two brothers who were later convicted for his murder. The two suspects remain at large.

Philip True was the Mexico City correspondent for the San Antonio Express-News.

This article also caught my attention:

Cruise employee charged in Tampa with sexual battery

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A Royal Caribbean cruise employee has been charged with attempting to rape a passenger during a weeklong cruise, authorities said.

Henry Maceto Forbes, 34, was arrested Saturday when the Legend of the Seas docked in the Port of Tampa, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Forbes met the 22-year-old passenger in a bar area on the ship Tuesday and offered to take her on a tour, a police report said. He allegedly pulled the woman into a dark room and attempted to rape her. She was able to escape, the report said.

At the time of the incident, the boat was in international waters.

Company officials are waiting on the outcome of the police investigation before disciplining Forbes, said Royal Caribbean spokesman Michael Sheehan.

Forbes has been charged with false imprisonment and sexual battery. He was being held without bond Monday morning. He has no attorney.

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