By Bob Walsh
I am a bit of a dinosaur. I still get a significant amount of my news from printed newspapers. I subscribe to the local fishwrapper, the Stockton RECORD and read two or three others on a regular basis. I enjoy the tactile sensation of paper and ink plus the physical layout can be interesting. A case in point.
In Sunday’s RECORD there is a major article on A3 at the top of the page, all the way across the page. About 18 column inches all together. It talks about the recently-passed Proposition 63 in California and how it will reduce “gun violence” and describes it as an “anti-gun violence measure.” That is, of course, a crock of shit. What it is is an anti-gun and anti-legitimate gun owner measure. I say that because what it does is inhibit the rights of honest, law-abiding gun owners while taking no action whatsoever against bad guys.
The second part of this scenario is page A2 and page A3 below the fold. At the top of A2 is a modest three column inch story stating that a 41-year old man who was shot several times in south Stockton is likely to survive. This was a deliberate, targeted shooting.
Also at the top of A2 is a second article asserting that a different shooting victim who was, like the first one, shot early Saturday morning, is refusing to cooperate with the police investigation into his shooting. Contained within this brief article, about four column inches, is a reference to another shooting in the same general area at the same general time that left one man dead and another injured.
Now we move to the bottom of page A3. This one is about 20 column inches including a color photo, continued with about another six column inches on page A7. This talks about two shootings on Friday night and Saturday morning. These left two men dead, one of whom is the one referred to in the second half of the article referred to above. (Sorry this reads a little choppy, I am trying to paint a word picture with only moderate success.)
The point is we have a major article with a large-font headline touting how wonderful Proposition 63 is and outright lying about its intent, juxtaposed by several articles clearly showing that the problem is not guns, nor is it honest people with guns. The problem is criminals with guns, and Proposition 63 does not do jack shit about that.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I think the fish would spoil if wrapped with pages A-2 and A-3.
1 comment:
Criminals with guns. Say it ain't so.
If it works out the way I think it will, criminals with guns will be your next generation police officers. Standards and education are dropping nationwide because no one in their right mind would do the job. That being said let's add mental cases to the mix too.
It may be time to move to West Texas, Montana or Idaho. I think the suburbs are becoming to urban for me. Where I live the Sheriff has a hard time filling patrol slots. Retirements are rampant. Now licensed peace officers who have been in the jail for years are being put on patrol. I wish them luck. Most of them originally applied for patrol positions but didn't make the cut.
Post a Comment