by Kathryn CaseyOkay, like the headline says, now I'm seriously ticked. I was about ready to go to bed Tuesday night, already worried about that darn Hadron Collider in Europe destroying the world, when I decided to check the Internet one last time before turning off the computer. There it was, the headline I half expected but could barely believe:
Casey Anthony offered more than $1 million to tell her story.
Has the world gone mad?
Let's back up. I have a newspaper editor friend who reminds me that I should recap cases, to make sure readers have the nuts and bolts. So, in case you haven't watched television, read a newspaper, perused the grocery store tabloids or checked the net since July 17th, Casey is the mother of Caylee Anthony, an absolutely darling 3-year-old. Little Caylee was first reported missing by her grandmother, Cindy Anthony, in mid July. At the time, mom Casey said the little girl had been taken by her nanny. Now we seriously question the existence of the nanny, plus we know Caylee's DNA was found in Mommy Dearest's trunk along with signs of human decomposition. So, the buzz on the street is that it appears that this cute little girl with the big brown eyes is dead. And all the while, Casey Anthony, concerned mom that she is, has refused to help police. Guess cooperating with police attempting to find your missing daughter isn't as much fun as hitting the clubs and partying just days after your little girl disappears?
(You can tell I'm fuming about this, can't you? Sorry. I try, but sometimes I just can't help myself.)
Anyway, what set me off tonight is that, according to the article on the WESH website, an Orlando television station, Casey, who may or may not have murdered her daughter but at the very least is in line for a "Monster Mother of the Year" designation, is being offered big money for interviews, starting at $350,000 and up to $500,00 per sit down with a reporter. The article doesn't say who's offering the cash, just that it's on the table.
"We've had an offer come in from an overseas company that specializes in pay-per-view, and those offers can exceed $1 million," Jose Baez law firm (Casey's attorneys) spokesman Todd Black told WESH.
Does anyone else feel like vomiting?
What has happened to this world that we're willing to pay a woman who may have killed her little girl big bucks to get on camera and tell us what she won't tell police? The very idea that anyone would consider this is.... I'm so disgusted, I'm sorry, I can't even think of a word harsh enough.
Geesh. Let's face it: the only thing Casey Anthony had that was worth that kind of money was little Caylee, and she was priceless.
After reading the WESH article, I thought back to my blog from last week, the one where in the comment section, on rumors this might happen, I suggested we join together to boycott anyone who paid the Anthonys money for interviews. You know, I thought, that could be a really good idea. Why the heck not?
So, here's my plan: I propose that we start a worldwide Internet campaign against any outlet that pays Casey Anthony anything, even a single dollar, for an interview. We do this by monitoring the news to find out who the offenders are and then sending out e-mails to all our friends, asking them to tell all their friends, and so on, so on, warning everyone of this disgusting behavior, urging them not to watch whatever television program Anthony appears on. If there's money involved, turn the TV off! Maybe keep it off that channel/program even after the interview airs, just for good measure. Let these lowlifes know we mean business.
If it's true, this is checkbook journalism at its absolute worst. I don't know who is vying for the interviews, but it has to be someone without conscience much less ethics. How can anyone pay a mother suspected of being involved in her little girl's death? Sure, we don't know what happened with Caylee yet, maybe we never will, but there are certainly grounds for suspicion. Are you with me?
