Vanity, Visits, Vexations, Values

As I sift through the news
I see the same old stories
Over and over again.
Sometimes the names have been changed
But certainly not to protect the innocent.
It's just like the book of Ecclesiastes
Where it says
There is nothing new under the sun,
It is all vanity.

Even the stories about a country's president,
Who in this post will remain nameless,
That is stirring such a fuss by visiting this country
As a member of the U.N. is not all that new.
What frustrates me is how
We play into his hands
By creating a media firestorm over the visit.
All he wants is the spotlight
So that he can tell his oppressed people
How he was such a threat
To the great and powerful U.S.

The same tired faces
Continue to grace the covers
Of so-called news magazines
That focus on their latest scandals or causes
But ignore the real news that continues
Unabated across the globe.
Is it just that people would prefer
To stick their head in the sand
Rather than face the reality
Of war and starvation and genocide
And Oppression that never seems to end?

What pursuits are worth of our treasure?
Where should we invest our time?
What is truly important?
What values are being taught to our children?
Should we care that people are starving in the Sudan?
Does it really matter that a foreign "leader"
Wants to use our media driven culture to stir controversy?
Should we "hole-up" on our shores
And ignore the craziness, or
Should we export that about us which is good
To the rest of the world?