60 Minutes: Afghanistan, Ground Zero Mosque and Drew Brees on the 43rd Season Premiere Episode

Image by dr.knitter via Flickr

In the 43rd season opener of 60 Minutes, reporters took us right into the heart of the battle in Afghanistan. It was scary, at the very least. Moving on to controversies in the US, the 60 Minutes staff probed the “Ground Zero Mosque” issue. In a break from the drama of real life, there is also a biographical piece on Drew Brees (quarterback for the New Orleans Saints).

I felt compelled to watch the premiere of 60 Minutes when I saw the top story on Afghanistan. I felt uneasy as soon as the piece started. Reporter Laura Logan took on the task (with her crew) of bringing us the story from the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. The news is not good. We needed to see this.

The 60 Minutes crew met up with the men  of the 101st led by Capt. John Hintz of Iowa. Within the first hour at the camp they took fire and rocket shells. The men at the camp have taken shelling daily for seven months. That day there were two more injuries. So far, 40 of the 88 men have received a Purple Heart. One man has eight Purple Hearts.... and continued fighting for three hours after being shot in the head the last time.
Capt. Hintz and his men are in charge of policing 300 km... he said he only controls 18-20 sq km of that area. After nine years.

The crew of 60 Minutes accompanied Capt. Hintz and his team to a nearby village. The atmosphere was tense and it was obvious that there was little or no trust. The soldiers could sense an ambush, and they were right. As Capt. Hintz shouted to Logan to get in the armored vehicle, he and his men fought off the ambush. It was very intense.

You can watch the entire video and interview here: 60 Minutes - A Relentless Enemy

On another tough subject, 60 Minutes took us to the heart of the battle at Ground Zero. To be honest, it’s more than two blocks away from Ground Zero. A point that seems to fall on the deaf ears of pot stirrer Pamela Geller.

Geller leads the charge in New York City against the building of the 16 Story Islamic Community Center (the Mosque) near Ground Zero. Ten percent of the building, two floors, would be designated as a Muslim Prayer Room.

The question is simple enough, as put by Scott Pelly:

“If you believe that Islam is a moral religion, highjacked by terrorists, proximity doesn’t matter. If you believe Islam condones 9/11, this is too close.”

It was the politicians and media that led us to believe the Community Center would be built as a “Mosque at Ground Zero” after Pam Geller blogged about it and held some rallies. Even though the location is not even in sight of Ground Zero.

Keep in mind that Geller is a media professional. This is all just glory for her. She will say anything for any attention.

I highly suggest watching the entire story!
Watch the entire story here: 60 Minutes - The People Behind the Mosque

The opening episode of 60 Minutes ended with a day in the life of comeback kid Drew Brees. The New Orleans Saint’s quarterback that led the team to a Super Bowl victory that no one saw coming. He also won Super Bowl MVP honors after a near career ending shoulder injury early in his career.

We also got to see a little accuracy workout from Drew Brees. Throwing 30 yard passes to hit the goal post... he was disgusted with himself when it was over (and he hit it several times).

Watch the full interview with Drew Brees here: 60 Minutes - Super Bowl MVP “Cool Brees”

Looks like another great season of 60 Minutes. I don’t think there is a “liberal slant” to their reporting. I truly believe that the reporters on 60 Minutes hate everyone equally and do their best to expose everyone at their worst. That’s why I believe them. (Of course, Andy Rooney closed the show, didn't want to leave him out!)

Do you watch 60 Minutes, or do you think of them as just another "slanted" news organization?





Copyright @ 2008 TV Review