2 things on the baby Lisa Irwin case

First item: I went to a Hallowe'en/Chiefs get-together this evening and came away with the strong feeling that, in the court of public opinion, not only is the Lisa Irwin case "settled", in so many people's minds but that it also looks really, really bad--as I suspected--for Momma Irwin. I'm not coming to any conclusions myself but a whole lotta' people have, out there, I feel sure. And the more the parents stall, the worse it looks for them, too. (I have to say, while I refuse to come to any conclusions, one of the women at the party not only seemed to have it all figured out and it all sounded entirely plausible, too. Simple and plausible). Second item: With this being a full month since little Lisa went missing, the tone and attention of the media is beginning to shift, too. Did you see the 10 O'clock news this evening? That grain bin explosion yesterday in Atchison? Did you notice it rather bumped stories of baby Lisa off the top of the news hour? Our attention spans are already slipping. We're already beginning to lose interest in this one. Deny it if you wish but there are only so many days of "Nothing new to report on the baby Irwin case" you can take until it starts drifting away. It's weird, it's gotten weirder, it's sad and it looks really, really bad, any way you look at it. As a last note, check out at the headline Reuters News Service just put up on the internet about it, a mere 3 hours ago: Kansas city missing baby case becoming a circus, critics say (Link at bottom). From the article, check out what this FBI agent has to say: "'I think the whole case has been a media circus since the beginning,' said Jeff Lanza, a retired Kansas City FBI agent who is now a security and communications consultant. 'It's distracted from the investigation.'" I think plenty of us have wondered this: "Some also wonder why the parents focused so heavily on national media interviews while refusing local media interviews, if they wanted to find the baby." And then there's this from Michael Mahoney: "'Local reporters are complaining bitterly about it,' said Michael Mahoney, a veteran reporter with KMBC-TV in Kansas City. 'They think the family has opted to take this story nationally when local reporters believe they have the best chance of finding this infant by getting the word out.'" The article seems to repeat feelings I came away with earlier tonight. As I said a few days ago, it's odd and just keeps getting more so. Here's hoping some positive things start happening in it all--and as soon as possible. Links: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/01/us-baby-missing-idUSTRE7A004F20111101; http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/07/us-crime-baby-kidnapping-idUSTRE79572I20111007; http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/17/us-baby-missing-idUSTRE79F06D20111017