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GretaWire





 









Deplaning Delayed: Overheating on the Tarmac 

June      28, 2007 
By Greta Van Susteren



























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OK, time for the truth: Did you or didn't you watch Larry King's interview with Paris Hilton last night? I am anxious to see the ratings for the interview.
One thing that was sort of fun for me about the Paris Hilton interview, and I admit I would have liked to interview her, is that on our show last night we used about 2 minutes of tape from Larry King's interview... and I "tossed" to (introduced) it. Of course I had to give credit to Larry King and thus name him ï¿½ I could not pretend our network had the interview. It was the first time in five and a half years that I "tossed" to Larry and used his name. Most people in all the discussion about the lead in to Larry King on CNN don't remember that when I was at CNN, I held the 8 p.m. time slot. Hence nightly I tossed to him. It was sort of odd to be doing it again. Yes, five and a half years has really gone quickly... and yes, Larry has always been good to me.
Last night, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and his wife surprised me with a group of people they were entertaining in Washington, D.C. Speaker Gingrich was on "Hannity & Colmes" last night so he brought his friends into the bureau for his "hit" and then brought his friends into my studio before "On the Record" started. The reason he brought them into my studio is because his friends (and his wife) are from Wisconsin and I am, too. A couple of the speaker's friends had lived in my hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin, so we talked Appleton geography for a minute. (And please, no wise cracks!)
We covered the Chris Benoit story last night. A lawyer for the WWE on our show chastised the media and said not to jump to conclusions that the cause was "'roid rage" from steroid use. He is right: We should wait for the toxicology results to make sweeping pronouncements. But it is fair to have a discussion now about the possibility in light of the presence of steroids in the family home. We need not ignore red flags in our discussion or suspicion, but rather leave a considerable amount of uncertainty until we have all the facts. This double murder-suicide could turn out to be something other than the product of drug use.
Now for some of your e-mails:
E-mail No. 1
[Why is it] that Greta's blog is rarely connected to the title of the piece on the FOX online page? It's a pain in the ass to call up her blog which almost always starts out with her travel arrangements. Some of us have traveled a great deal more than her and get tired hearing about how wonderful she is at adjusting to changing conditions.
Anyway after expecting to hear about Paris' aunts, I was given a paragraph on Tina Brown. I don't mind her writing about Tina Brown although I have no interest, Can we work it out so that the blog is about the same thing as the video headline? Or give the blog a headline of its own.
Homer [Felknor]
ANSWER: Homer: the point of the blog, in part, is to explain the behind the scenes of our work. Viewers are curious what our jobs are like. It just so happens we travel much so you read much about the travel. If we spent a great deal or our days buttoned up in a conference room talking, you would read much about that. But we are a dynamic show ï¿½ always on the road. By the way, Homer, check out the BlackBerry e-mail I got from my producer 15 minutes before the show last night. It is E-mail No. 2 (below) and yes, it is about travel and includes my responses to him:
E-mail No. 2 [Those who travel to and from NYC by air will understand the series of e-mails from my producer below]
[I opened this e-mail about 9:30 p.m.]
I'm one of hundreds of passengers stranded on jets at LaGuardia. We landed an hour and a half ago and they won't let us off because it's lightning. We could be stuck here all night. The passengers are going crazy.
Steph Watts
And then my e-mail to back to him:
Why does lightning matter? You are walking on a jetway right into the terminal, right? You are not going down onto the tarmac and walking outside
Greta
Steph responded to my e-mail:
They claim they don't have a gate, so we have to take buses. Something's fishy.
Steph
EXPLANATION: Steph (a producer) is returning from more than a week in Ohio covering the Jessie Davis murder. Getting stuck on the runway is not particularly fun after a week on the road and I suspect when Steph first went to Ohio he thought he would be there for a day or two, so I am sure he is pretty exhausted. By the way, as time marched on and as Steph got more and more frazzled sitting on the tarmac waiting for a gate, and as he got more and more suspicious whether the passengers were getting the straight story, he BlackBerry'd me to name the airline. I passed. I knew he was mad and wanted to "out" the airline, but I put on the brakes for that.
At 10:26 p.m. I got this very pathetic, unsolicited and short e-mail from Steph:
Still stuck
Steph
MY THOUGHT: He is so worn out by sitting on the plane on the tarmac that he is now in apathy ï¿½ two words is all he could put in the e-mail.
10:31 p.m. [another e-mail from Steph]
Yes. It's getting ugly. And I have to be nice, cause I'm wearing my OTR hat.
MY THOUGHT: That's all I need: Steph to break bad on a plane at LaGuardia on the tarmac wearing an "On the Record" hat, but I do feel sorry for him.
10:42 p.m. [another e-mail from Steph]
They say they don't have any gates for the planes. And they won't move the stairs up to the plane with the lightning. Now the busses waiting to take us left. They can take off, fly and land in the lightning, but you can't get off!! If you call customer service its 392 minutes to take your call.
10:51 p.m. [another e-mail from Steph]
The bus is here but they won't wheel the stairs out so it's like an oasis in the sand. I can't believe they don't have gates. Now some guy is freaking out.
10:54 p.m. [another e-mail from Steph]
We're on the bus!!!! No luggage
ANSWER: That e-mail was the last I heard from Steph. I assume he got home ï¿½ not sure about his luggage.
E-mail No. 3
This definitely had a tragic ending and I, like everyone else, hoped for a different outcome. However, it should not be compared to Laci Peterson. Laci Peterson was married to a man she thought loved her. Jessie Davis had to know she was in a volatile and dysfunctional relationship, yet she and those around her seemed to be elated she was bringing another child in to a terrible situation.
Claudia Rifici
E-mail No. 4
If Mr. and Mrs. Benoit argued over their son, the overwhelming remorse of their/his drug use causing the young man's condition must have been crushing.
Mike Sevier
Tucson, AZ
E-mail No. 5
Greta,
I keep hearing people say what a great guy Chris Benoit was and yet he killed his wife and his very young son. A man can embody truth but he cannot know it and the truth is Benoit was not a great guy and we know it now. My prayers go out to their families.
Lisa Nichols
Southlake, TX
E-mail No. 6
Why do you hate men so much? When the lady killed her preacher husband, you said nothing about it. When Bates killed her kids by drowning them in her car, you said nothing. When the babysitter crushed the baby's head, you said nothing. But by God if a man commits a murder you on him like stink on sh_t! Are you predujiced (sic) against men? Are you a lesbien (sic)? Why do you hate men? I love the Fox News Channel, but your show is too bias for me to watch. How about being more fair an balanced? ok?
Christopher White
Carlisle, IA
ANSWER: Who is Bates? Drowning in a car?
E-mail No. 7
Greta,
Your use of the term "retardation, retarded" (in reference to the son of Chis) is not used anymore. Use: special needs, mentally challenged, intellectually disabled.
Thank you,
Beth
ANSWER: Did I say that or did a guest? In any event, I am always happy to learn.
E-mail No. 8
Greta,
I liked Paris's interview. I don't like how people are making fun of her for finding Jesus. I also don't like the public making fun of her hair extensions. She is NOT A CRIMINAL.
JR
E-mail No. 9
Having taken steroids on and off for years due to lower back problems, and knowing how crazy and paranoid they made me feel even though I took small doses, it makes me think that Chris Benoit, albeit he may have been delusional, may have been embarrassed or humiliated by his son or wanted to allegedly "spare" his son a lifetime of being small and/or intellectually challenged and decided to kill him to "spare" his son and himself disgrace. I don't know, of course, but allegedly, steroids create situations within the mind that cannot be fully diagnosed (since reactions can be different depending on the chemical makeup of the person taking the steroids) or appreciated and Chris went over the edge the sanity via a perception of humiliation or present/future problems his son would face.
Phyllis Wirick
Youngstown, OH
E-mail No. 10
Greta,
I just watched you talk with Jim Hammer, Jeff Brown and Jeanine Pirro about Paris Hilton. I agree with Jeff ï¿½ why continue to beat Paris Hilton down? She spent 23 days in jail and I feel is doing her best to express herself. What more do they want?? I'm sure Paris isn't looking for anyone to feel sorry for her so Jim and Jeanine need to forget that line. Are they spotless and perfect? NO WAY ï¿½ so they need to lay off Paris Hilton.
San Diego viewer
E-mail No. 11
I thought Paris did great with her interview. I want these nip you at the heels people to stop and think about the age of this person they are expecting so much from. Paris is only 26 years old and they shouldn't expect too many street smarts from her. She has had a protected wealthy life. Because of Paris's protected life her maturity may be delayed. With life experiences I think she will mature just like the rest of us. To expect a 26 year old girl to be a mature woman of age is ridiculous. What do these people want blood. They just can't get enough and nothing is good enough. 26 years old is young and Paris has never been married does not have children and hasn't had the 40 hour a week grind like most so she needs time to mature. Again I think she did a great interview for being such a young girl. People are entitled to make mistakes in their maturing process and I think if we all were perfect we wouldn't be on earth right now our job would be done on Earth.
E-mail No. 12
Greta,
Steroids taken in large quantities were prescribed to me by an emergency room physician who treated me for a case of Poison Ivy.
I was taking of the 'dose' amount prescribed to me.
This was a very high amount for daily doses, and I did not know different.
My body went through major changes in a strong desire for food, for cleaning the house, car, mattresses, etc....you name it.
I went through a starvation phase of needing to eat every 2 hours....major amounts of protein in the form of hamburgers and also in rice, peas, and chicken.
My local doctor immediately took me off of this....when after a week or so of being on this. (The dosage was a mistake...and I never took this to court for a suit for reasons of not believing in suing)
I could not continue to teach the remaining last part of the year at the Catholic School because of the constant urge of feeling a starvation, and being 'not me'.
The Steroids had an effect on my body, where I did not feel 'right' with whom I was.
The next year of teaching, I told my Sister Principal that I did not feel right for some reason. I went to teach and simple problems of dealing with the young children were like a magnification of patience.
I knew I did not 'feel' like the 'real me', during this next year while teaching.
I did not complete the year of teaching, and I know that the physical aspects of how I felt 'after' taking the steroids...remained in my system for a good year.
In time, I felt 'normal' of whom I am. This took about one year from the time I was taken off of this from my own physician.
Steroids affected me to be strong, to be impatient, to be immaculate, to be energized... and more.
I almost starved to death taking the doses of steroids, had I not eaten every 2 hours. (sleeping at night was interrupted by a starvation of food) If a particular food of proteins, rice and vegetables was not available, you might as well put me on an IV to survive.
For the short time I was on this 'prescribed' prescription, I felt what real starvation is all about, and a strong sense that 'I am not this person'.
Nothing like this experience has ever re-occurred for me in 15 years and it was very easy for me to recall, like it happened yesterday.
Kristina Murphy
Baton Rouge, LA
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