Read & retch: interview on "Today" w/ celeb driver-killer of cyclist.

This morning Matt Lauer, on the "Today" show, interviewed a teary former Miss
America (2000), the wife of the former Lt. Gov. of Kentucky. We were supposed
to feel sympathy for HER because SHE, driving, hit and killed a cyclist, a
German woman who was the mother of four.

Yeah, sure, Miss America expressed all the right sentiments for the killed
cyclist, but the transcript may not reflect the full measure of Lauer's
solicitiousness of her and her seeking sympathy for herself. Read it and retch.

RICHARD ROSENTHAL

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++

From the Today Show on November 17, 2003...

MATT LAUER, co-host:

It has been quite a year for former Miss America Heather French Henry,
one she probably wouldn't wish on anyone else.* French first gained
national attention when she was crowned Miss America back in 2000.* Her
platform was America's war veterans.* French then became one-half of a
power couple when she married Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Stephen Henry.
But last month tragedy.* She was at the wheel of her SUV when she hit a
bicyclist, killing her.

Heather French Henry, good morning.* Nice to have you here.

Ms. HEATHER FRENCH HENRY (Former Miss America):* Good morning, Matt.
Thank you.

LAUER:* I called and talked to your husband just a couple of days after
this happened.* I think you were in the room...

Ms. HENRY:* Right.

LAUER:* ...and he said you were just unable to even talk.* Give me an
idea of what these last couple of months have been like for you.

Ms. HENRY:* It was almost impossible to talk about, especially the first
couple of weeks.* And, you know, even now, getting to come out now, is
more to help others who've been through it, and more so to say thank you.
Thousands of letters and e-mails from peo--all around the world that
people have been through the same situation.* And a gentleman from
Australia e-mailed me and said, `This happened to me.* You don't know
me.' And then, of course, the veterans work that I had done, it was just
so ironic, you know, having helped veterans for so long, trying to live
with the aftermath of war and death...

LAUER:* And trauma.

Ms. HENRY:* ...and now--and trauma--and now a lot of those veterans are
helping me.

LAUER:* Let's talk about it.* It was October 12th.

Ms. HENRY:* Right.

LAUER:* And you're in your SUV.* And you're at a light waiting to make a
turn. The light turns green.* Take me from there.

Ms. HENRY:* It--you know, the hardest thing to live with is seeing her
face, her hand in the air and her screaming, `No,' and trying everything
you can to avoid an unavoidable accident.* And it replays through your
mind all the time. You know, you swerve the car to the right, because I
was fully aware that there were cars to the left, and I had my daughter
in the back, and it was--there was just no way to get around it.* And
then you stop...

LAUER:* So you made--you made this turn.* She was on a bicycle.

Ms. HENRY:* She--it darted out from...

LAUER:* Outside the crosswalk.

Ms. HENRY:* Right, mm-hmm.

LAUER:* And from what I understand, there was a lot of sun glare on the
road.

Ms. HENRY:* There was a lot, and not blinding sun I will say.* But it
made me concentrate really hard.* It's a very busy intersection.* There
are six lanes of traffic going in and out of that area.* And you're
always very aware of how much room you're taking in that turn, especially
in a truck with other cars there.* And so I was paying very good
attention to where my car was actually going in that turn.* And
when--it's just like when a child darts out in traffic to get a ball.* I
mean, it's just--there's--your instinct is automatically, of course, to
swerve, but it was just--it was just no...

LAUER:* You hit her with the center of the grill, basically.* What did
you do immediately after?

Ms. HENRY:* You know, I think I take a lot of strength from my mom.* I am
very calm in those types of situations.* But 20 minutes later I was not.
I immediately checked on my daughter and then got out of the car.* And
luckily there was an off-duty EMS worker at the gas station, right there,
an off-duty doctor right there.* And so they had already called 911.* We
all convened over at--at Karola side.* And then my husband--we live
literally less that a half mile from that scene, so he ran down within 30
seconds.

LAUER:* He is a doctor, I should mention.

Ms. HENRY:* A trauma doctor, so he's very used to these situations.

LAUER:* What was your reaction when you got the word later that night
that she had died?

Ms. HENRY:* Oh, I didn't hear that she had until I saw it on the news.* I
mean, that--that was--excuse me, that was like one of the hardest parts
was not having that connection and then having to deal with the
second-hand information that just--just totally devastated my life, and
still does today, knowing that, you know, I will have to move on.* I have
daughters that depend on me.* I have a husband.* I still will continue my
veterans work.* And that really gives me a lot of hope.

LAUER:* You've released a statement through your husband's office saying,
expressing your deep condolences to her family.* Have you reached out in
any other way to her family?* I understand most of her family is in
Germany?

Ms. HENRY:* They are in Germany.* And part of the hopes of coming on with
you and being on with others on national, I'm hoping that that family
hears that, you know, this was not an accident that I just walked away
from and just started my life over again.

LAUER:* As a matter of fact, one of the things that I understand her
family--she has four children, is that right...

Ms. HENRY:* She does.* She did have four children.

LAUER:* ...that sometimes her children are being told is--is, `Your mom
was killed by that beauty queen?'

Ms. HENRY:* Right.* That's what I have feared the most, and that
people--I mean people who know me and the work that I've done know that
I'm a very compassionate person towards humans.* I mean, I value human
life so much.* And I really want them to get that indication that I will
think about her and her family every single day, even though I don't
know...

LAUER:* Why not just call?* Why not--why not get in contact with her
family personally?* Is there...

Ms. HENRY:* We've been very...

LAUER:* Are there legal reasons?

Ms. HENRY:* ...you know, we've been very interested in that.* And I just
don't think that either party we are really ready yet for that.* I mean,
it's a struggle enough for me to get out of bed.* I mean, there are
several projects that I do get to work on now to keep my mind off of the
accident.* My kids and I had a children's book about Veterans Day and
those sorts of things have really kept me going.* But, you know, on the
off moments, Matt, it's just--it's--it's devastating.

LAUER:* You've said that people have reached out to you.* People have
said, `You don't know me, but this happened to me.' Do you think, though,
Heather, that being somewhat high profile, the fact that you're a power
couple in Kentucky, has it made it more difficult for you being someone
who is in the public eye and then having something like this happen?

Ms. HENRY:* Well, any time anything happens, you know, whether it's your
husband's prostate surgery, or your daughter's surgery, it makes it hard
to live in the public eye, but we understand in public life that's part
of it. We are obligated to the public that they are interested in what
happens to us. And one of the hopes is that people that this is--you
know, people who have been through this will find some comfort maybe
together just like the people who reached out to me.* They--I am sure
they relived that.* When they e-mailed me, they relived their situation.
And what's strange is that it actually happens more often than you think,
but it's just not on the news quite as often.* So we've had best friends
that it has happened to.* We didn't even know.

LAUER:* Again, I know while--while it's been devastating to your family,
your thoughts are also with this...

Ms. HENRY:* Absolutely.

LAUER:* ...this woman's family in Germany.* And I appreciate you coming
on and talking to us about it?

Ms. HENRY:* Thank you.* And this will probably, you know--I am trying to
slow everything down now, so it's nice to be on with you.* It's still
very hard to talk about.

LAUER:* I appreciate it.* Thanks, Heather.

Ms. HENRY:* Thanks.

LAUER:* It's 46 after the hour.* We're back right after this.

(BikeAdman) wrote-
Yeah, sure, Miss America expressed all the right sentiments for the killed
cyclist, but the transcript may not reflect the full measure of Lauer's
solicitiousness of her and her seeking sympathy for herself. Read it and
retch.

Saw it this AM on TV. I was taken back by her demeanor. She tried to paint
herself as the "victim" in this case. No sympathy here for this goody two
shoes.

Jim

Years ago, in the town I grew up in a local teenager, known for
exercising the novelty of blasting his parents car up and down the city
streets smacked a child on a bike, running him over completely and
killing him. There was much talk about how distraught he was and how
hamstrung he was over the guilt, the images of the child's face frozen
in his mind, etc. and the psychological treatment he went through to
recover from the event. The judge, at the child's parents request, gave
out a very lenient sentence. I don't recall ever hearing him fully
recovered from his own trauma.

No doubt he had a significant conscience. The shame to many of us, and
I'm sure to the victim's parents, is he didn't exercise much of that
conscience prior to the hit.

I note from Heather's comments that she's very careful to state in no
uncertainty what great care she took in driving through the turn, prior
to striking the cyclist. Further, restating how the cyclist "darted out
of nowhere."

I haven't seen the police accident report, but her effort to state these
things bugs me, as if to exclaim, "I had an excuse, don't blame me!"

That the purpose of her appearance seems more centered on her personal
recovery rather than emphasizing driver awareness of others sharing the
road, well, I find a bit galling, but not surprising. Finding someone
else to blame appears to be a dominant aspect of american culture.
Disagree? Explain the significantly large population of tort attorneys.

BikeAdman wrote:

This morning Matt Lauer, on the "Today" show, interviewed a teary former Miss
America (2000), the wife of the former Lt. Gov. of Kentucky. We were supposed
to feel sympathy for HER because SHE, driving, hit and killed a cyclist, a
German woman who was the mother of four.

Yeah, sure, Miss America expressed all the right sentiments for the killed
cyclist, but the transcript may not reflect the full measure of Lauer's
solicitiousness of her and her seeking sympathy for herself. Read it and retch.

RICHARD ROSENTHAL

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++

From the Today Show on November 17, 2003...

MATT LAUER, co-host:

It has been quite a year for former Miss America Heather French Henry,
one she probably wouldn't wish on anyone else. French first gained
national attention when she was crowned Miss America back in 2000. Her
platform was America's war veterans. French then became one-half of a
power couple when she married Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Stephen Henry.
But last month tragedy. She was at the wheel of her SUV when she hit a
bicyclist, killing her.

Heather French Henry, good morning. Nice to have you here.

Ms. HEATHER FRENCH HENRY (Former Miss America): Good morning, Matt.
Thank you.

LAUER: I called and talked to your husband just a couple of days after
this happened. I think you were in the room...

Ms. HENRY: Right.

LAUER: ...and he said you were just unable to even talk. Give me an
idea of what these last couple of months have been like for you.

Ms. HENRY: It was almost impossible to talk about, especially the first
couple of weeks. And, you know, even now, getting to come out now, is
more to help others who've been through it, and more so to say thank you.
Thousands of letters and e-mails from peo--all around the world that
people have been through the same situation. And a gentleman from
Australia e-mailed me and said, `This happened to me. You don't know
me.' And then, of course, the veterans work that I had done, it was just
so ironic, you know, having helped veterans for so long, trying to live
with the aftermath of war and death...

LAUER: And trauma.

Ms. HENRY: ...and now--and trauma--and now a lot of those veterans are
helping me.

LAUER: Let's talk about it. It was October 12th.

Ms. HENRY: Right.

LAUER: And you're in your SUV. And you're at a light waiting to make a
turn. The light turns green. Take me from there.

Ms. HENRY: It--you know, the hardest thing to live with is seeing her
face, her hand in the air and her screaming, `No,' and trying everything
you can to avoid an unavoidable accident. And it replays through your
mind all the time. You know, you swerve the car to the right, because I
was fully aware that there were cars to the left, and I had my daughter
in the back, and it was--there was just no way to get around it. And
then you stop...

LAUER: So you made--you made this turn. She was on a bicycle.

Ms. HENRY: She--it darted out from...

LAUER: Outside the crosswalk.

Ms. HENRY: Right, mm-hmm.

LAUER: And from what I understand, there was a lot of sun glare on the
road.

Ms. HENRY: There was a lot, and not blinding sun I will say. But it
made me concentrate really hard. It's a very busy intersection. There
are six lanes of traffic going in and out of that area. And you're
always very aware of how much room you're taking in that turn, especially
in a truck with other cars there. And so I was paying very good
attention to where my car was actually going in that turn. And
when--it's just like when a child darts out in traffic to get a ball. I
mean, it's just--there's--your instinct is automatically, of course, to
swerve, but it was just--it was just no...

LAUER: You hit her with the center of the grill, basically. What did
you do immediately after?

Ms. HENRY: You know, I think I take a lot of strength from my mom. I am
very calm in those types of situations. But 20 minutes later I was not.
I immediately checked on my daughter and then got out of the car. And
luckily there was an off-duty EMS worker at the gas station, right there,
an off-duty doctor right there. And so they had already called 911. We
all convened over at--at Karola side. And then my husband--we live
literally less that a half mile from that scene, so he ran down within 30
seconds.

LAUER: He is a doctor, I should mention.

Ms. HENRY: A trauma doctor, so he's very used to these situations.

LAUER: What was your reaction when you got the word later that night
that she had died?

Ms. HENRY: Oh, I didn't hear that she had until I saw it on the news. I
mean, that--that was--excuse me, that was like one of the hardest parts
was not having that connection and then having to deal with the
second-hand information that just--just totally devastated my life, and
still does today, knowing that, you know, I will have to move on. I have
daughters that depend on me. I have a husband. I still will continue my
veterans work. And that really gives me a lot of hope.

LAUER: You've released a statement through your husband's office saying,
expressing your deep condolences to her family. Have you reached out in
any other way to her family? I understand most of her family is in
Germany?

Ms. HENRY: They are in Germany. And part of the hopes of coming on with
you and being on with others on national, I'm hoping that that family
hears that, you know, this was not an accident that I just walked away
from and just started my life over again.

LAUER: As a matter of fact, one of the things that I understand her
family--she has four children, is that right...

Ms. HENRY: She does. She did have four children.

LAUER: ...that sometimes her children are being told is--is, `Your mom
was killed by that beauty queen?'

Ms. HENRY: Right. That's what I have feared the most, and that
people--I mean people who know me and the work that I've done know that
I'm a very compassionate person towards humans. I mean, I value human
life so much. And I really want them to get that indication that I will
think about her and her family every single day, even though I don't
know...

LAUER: Why not just call? Why not--why not get in contact with her
family personally? Is there...

Ms. HENRY: We've been very...

LAUER: Are there legal reasons?

Ms. HENRY: ...you know, we've been very interested in that. And I just
don't think that either party we are really ready yet for that. I mean,
it's a struggle enough for me to get out of bed. I mean, there are
several projects that I do get to work on now to keep my mind off of the
accident. My kids and I had a children's book about Veterans Day and
those sorts of things have really kept me going. But, you know, on the
off moments, Matt, it's just--it's--it's devastating.

LAUER: You've said that people have reached out to you. People have
said, `You don't know me, but this happened to me.' Do you think, though,
Heather, that being somewhat high profile, the fact that you're a power
couple in Kentucky, has it made it more difficult for you being someone
who is in the public eye and then having something like this happen?

Ms. HENRY: Well, any time anything happens, you know, whether it's your
husband's prostate surgery, or your daughter's surgery, it makes it hard
to live in the public eye, but we understand in public life that's part
of it. We are obligated to the public that they are interested in what
happens to us. And one of the hopes is that people that this is--you
know, people who have been through this will find some comfort maybe
together just like the people who reached out to me. They--I am sure
they relived that. When they e-mailed me, they relived their situation.
And what's strange is that it actually happens more often than you think,
but it's just not on the news quite as often. So we've had best friends
that it has happened to. We didn't even know.

LAUER: Again, I know while--while it's been devastating to your family,
your thoughts are also with this...

Ms. HENRY: Absolutely.

LAUER: ...this woman's family in Germany. And I appreciate you coming
on and talking to us about it?

Ms. HENRY: Thank you. And this will probably, you know--I am trying to
slow everything down now, so it's nice to be on with you. It's still
very hard to talk about.

LAUER: I appreciate it. Thanks, Heather.

Ms. HENRY: Thanks.

LAUER: It's 46 after the hour. We're back right after this.

Selfish snob! Not once did she say anything about how sorry she was
about running that lady down or taking her away from her family. And she
showed no remorse toward this lady's family either. Yeah! poor little
rich girl! OK, I see that she feels bad about what happened, but she
acts like she was the only one involved. Am I wrong here? Someone please
correct me if I am.
--
Dominick Fiumare Email:
Facilities & Services Voice: 505-646-2529
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Las Cruces, NM 88003