I put the names back in the cop notes today. Comments were mostly in favor. I put up a poll, and it is tied right now.
Please vote.
I want to be responsive to readers. To some extent, I want to do what you all want. I want to be an honest reflection of the community. Some news organizations want to tell you what you need to know, and what to think. I don't want to be like that.
Also today the president is having a town hall meeting. With the rough time he has had at some of them, its kinda brave of him to do it again. But, he is doing it in the part of the country that is most liberal, so ... that should help.
I put up a link last night to the White House web site, where you may watch it live at noon today.
The site itself is good. Has a lot of information.
I really don't consider it bravery. Obama has a stance and is not afraid to back down from critisim. If people was really listening to him, his real message is to bring back the land of opportunity and prosperity that the United States once was.
ReplyDeleteon the police notes issue: Don't you think it's interesting that people who post 90% of the time as anonymous and whose anonymous comments are usually negative and might be considered embarrassing if the owner were identified (whew a really compound sentence) would desire records with names? Is that somewhat of a contradiction?
ReplyDeleteCharles,
ReplyDeleteIn all the time you have been posting - haven't you seen all the differnet things that go with posting with you real name!
Reminds me of when JJ had a stocker that posted with his ID on Between the Rivers.
Besides those with a negative opinion still have an opinion. Should they be silenced?
or
Is their an opportunity to change each others minds or find a compromise? You have to communicate to have a chance at either one!
oops!
ReplyDeletecorrections are in order
different and stalker
Offering an opinion without owning just doesn't seem right. I worked once with a clergy whose aspirations were to become the successor to our district overseer. A noble ambition it was. However, when tasked by the overseer to communicate to the congregants on administrative matters, he was most often heard saying, "This is not my idea. I am just doing what the Overseer said."
ReplyDeleteHe lost the respect of some because it seemed that he shrank away from potential criticism. To want to be heard but not be accountable is just a contradiction.
Another clergymen used the phrase, "To throw a rock and then hide your hand."
There are some concerns about an identity being pirated. I think the foundation for the most beneficial discussion is when people identify themselves, own and offer their opinion and are willing to listen to and consider others.
Now to the other issue, I am not so sure that we need to spotlight every individual in their moment of indiscretion. What matters most? That someone got caught by the people who are supposed to catch them or that they tell all of us who they caught?
Perhaps the compromise is identifying suspects of felonious acts and simply chronicling misdemeanor stuff. So much of what happens is failure to pay a fine. One current commissioner suggested we need to go back to the stocks on the town hall lawn.
Make people stand out in the stocks for the day so everyone can see them and point a finger.
Another approach to consider is to move away from the arrest log and report the court records for criminal (but NOT civil)cases.
The problem with reporting every arrest is that some people are not guilty but their name is maligned simply because most folks associate arrest with guilt, completely ignoring due process.
Getting court results is darned near impossible.
ReplyDeleteI tried a whole day.
You have to have the case number, and you can only get one at a time, and it takes awhile on their creaky computers. If you can even figure out how the software works ... or doesnt work .
It would take a couple hours just to get 4-5 results, but first i would have to know the names of the people involved and the court docket number.
I have really tried on this.
Complete stone wall and lack of cooperation.