Lately, Rosie O'Donnell has made quite a few enemies. On her daily talk show, The View, O'Donnell has launched personal diatribes against some of the world's foremost celebrities and political aficionados. In just the past few months. she has openly attacked Donald Trump for his support of Miss America and Bill O'Reilly for a political duel regarding Iraq. Now, however, she is targeting an entire group that is unable to defend itself from her vicious attacks: America's pets.

O'Donnell is a staunch liberal who has no qualms about voicing disdain about everything, and some consider her off the wall, but that's not necessarily true. She has ranted about the war in Iraq while also expressing her support for the troops. I, like many other Americans, have fallen into this group; the war in Iraq is a horrible abomination, but the troops can't be blamed for political ineptness. She has her moments, but she had less than kind words for America's funny friends. In light of the recent pet food epidemic due to over 40 brands of tainted pet food products, O'Donnell made a seemingly ignorant and blunt statement.

"I think that we have the wrong focus in the country. That when pets are killed in America from some horrific poisoning accident, 16 of them, it's all over the news and people are like, 'The kitty!' It's so sad.' Twenty-nine sons and daughters killed since that day, it's not newsworthy. I don't understand," she said.

I admire O' Donnell's candidness, but some times she just needs to shut up and get a clue. The media attention surrounding this pet food epidemic had been in the news for over a week when O'Donnell made this comment. She should realize that just because people are not necessarily focusing on the dying soldiers does not mean that they have been forgotten. Something horrible has been happening to households across America that affects them in a very real way.

People often speak of loving their pets as if they were members of their own family, so it is no surprise that the media would focus on the untimely deaths of these beloved animals. I am one of those people, and O'Donnell's comments are audacious. People have not become insensitive to soldiers dying. Although they have become desensitized to violence and bloodshed, death still strikes a deeply sad chord with Americans.

This situation strikes an eerie resemblance to the Vietnam War. During that highly politicized and polarized climate, numerous Americans lost their lives in the Vietnam War. The war seemed endless and overwhelming — just like our current situation. My mother recalls that during the nightly news, after the weather, the newscasters would read a small report detailing the numbers of Americans who had died in Vietnam that day, and as the war dragged on, this became more and more numbing.

This can also be likened to Americans' fixation with sex and violence. It seems as if it is becoming increasing difficult to shock the American viewing public, considering the success of such button-pushing television shows as Nip/Tuck and The Sopranos. This desensitization is not a good thing, but it is an escapable reality, as the American people are constantly bombarded by the desensitizing effects of the media.

It is quite possible to care about two things at once. People may not be outwardly expressive about the things they are thinking about. The media shouldn't be accused of heavily covering a story that affects millions of households across America while soldiers and Iraqis die. The American people are capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time, and Rosie O'Donnell should know that.

Reach columnist Chris Heide at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu.