On top of it all, the local rag is helping spur on the crazies.
You see, I live in Gilbert, AZ. You know that 20% of people who supported the Shrub through thick and thin? I bet half of them live right here. Last year's election should point that out. Zoom in on Arizona, and click the House tab. See that bright red dot? I am smack-dab in the middle of it. Along with teh crazies, I have Mormons. Lots of them. You know, those lovely people who killed gay marriage in California? What an inclusive bunch of folks they are, huh?
I also get delivered to me, for free, the East Valley Tribune. Why I get it for free, via delivery, along with everybody else in Gilbert, I couldn't tell you. I guess they couldn't sell enough of editions, so now we will deliver it to everybody. For free. Seems like a smart business decision, right? Now they HAVE to read it! They got us now!
But on Sunday, I just had to open the paper up to see what they thought about the Commencement speech given by President Obama at ASU.
This paper also has a wonderful section called The Vent. Usually, I just drop the paper in my recycling bin before it gets into my house. If you need to see why, just read some of the past entries in the Vent, and take a gander at the editorials. Also note the absolute lack of on-line comments on any of the editorials. I would cry if only I could stop laughing.
Now, as I said, a rarely read this rag. It's good for the coupons and the ads. That's about it. And coupons really come in handy now-a-days. Anyway, I flip on over to the editorial section, er, page. And the first thing I read is the Vent. It is the usual scattering of "Obama is a socialist" crap that this paper decides to publish anonymously. Oh, yeah. Didn't I mention that The Vent is an anonymous place for teh crazies to be published in a newspaper? With no one ever knowing who actually said this garbage? Yeah, great job editorial board. Just what the world needs, red hate published, and therefore legitimatized, in the newspaper.
Before I go further, I need to give some background. Mesa has a Police Chief. George Gascon. He has been doing a good job for Mesa. Re-organizing the offices, stream-lining procedures, making the city safer. The stuff that a Police Chief does. One thing he won't do though, is play ball with the county Sheriff. You know, Maricopa county Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Gascon won't let Sheriff Joe in to do his "illegal alien" searches, so Cowboy Joe just goes on in without letting Chief Gascon know the haps. Nothing like stepping on the toes of workplace peers, you know. So Chief Gascon has been looking around for another job. He always said that he would go back to California, after coming here from San Diego. And the chief job is opening up in San Francisco. So he let them know he would be interested.
So I start reading the Vent. And I get to this one.
Opinion of a retired police officer. It would be good for Mesa if George Gascón did go somewhere else. He is not a man’s man and not a leader. With his small stature and whiny voice, he will be better off in San Francisco, but not on the police force."
And I am seething mad. This newspaper just published someone's comment, anonymously, inferring that Chief Gascon should go to San Francisco, where he will fit in with the people much better, but not on the police force, mind you. You know, nudge, nudge, he's one of them. Teh gay. Haha. Now, I lived in San Francisco for 14 years. Now, I am not gay(HT to Senator Foot Tapper-R. But this seemed to be a bit outlandish. Well, way outlandish. Drop me on my fucking head outlandish. Why would a newspaper choose to put this crap in a newspaper? Why would they promote an anonymous Vent that reeks of homophobia? That everybody in the city gets, for free?
So I wrote them a letter...
Is this how low this newspaper has decided to stoop? By publishing your Vent pieces regarding Mesa Police Chief Gascon, you really have set the bar low for journalistic standards. Listen, I understand that there are people in the world who are scared of Gay people. Some will spout their hatred and irrational fear to anybody that will listen. I also understand you didn't write these "vents." But by publishing these vent pieces, you, as a NEWSPAPER, have just legitimatized their fear and hatred. They can tell their friends, "Look, I just got anonymously published in a NEWSPAPER. Ha Ha, send him to San Francisco. That's where men who aren't real men go."
And anonymously is really the key word regarding your feature, "The Vent." Just like a message board or blog on-line, where people can hide behind a screen name, you publish these bigoted hate screeds focused at gays, liberals, conservatives, gun lovers, gun haters...You get the point.
So I have written a letter to the editor. I will not hide behind an anonymous comment. And given the amount of letters to the editor you receive, (a bit of conjecture here, but by looking at the comment sections in your paper on-line, you probably don't get a lot) you may publish this. Or you may not. The point is I did this in open. I would not stoop low enough to let my opinion be obfuscated by anonymity.
As I said in the letter, I don't know if they will publish it or not. That isn't the point. I refuse to let people get away with anonymously screaming in the echo chamber. But I wonder if this is one of reasons NEWSpapers are having such an awful time of it lately.