Capt. Taylor's rape case

For the past week, the Northwest Florida Daily News has provided front-page coverage of the rape trial of Eglin Air Force Base Capt. Devery Taylor.

On Tuesday, Taylor was found guilty of raping four men and attempting to rape two others. Earlier today (Wednesday), he was sentenced to 50 years in a military prison.

Not surprisingly, our coverage drew complaints from some readers who felt that we should not have put this story on the front page, or that we included too many details about the crimes.

At the same time, our trial coverage on our Web site drew significant page views all week long -- a clear indication of high reader interest.

I'm not surprised by the complaints; stories about rape make people, including this editor, feel uncomfortable. I'm also not surprised by the high reader interest; stories about unusual crimes also attract readers.

So, cyber editors, what would you have done? Would you have placed stories about Capt. Taylor's trial on the front page? Or would you have put them somewhere inside the paper? Or, would you have covered the trial at all?

Let me know your thoughts.

anonymous reconsidered

At least one "anonymous" blogger made a good point about my previous blog about anonymous people taking shots at my credibility as an editor.

This blogger pointed out that I shouldn't be so thin-skinned. After all, he or she wrote, in the past I have defended Spout Off, the column of "anonymous" comments we publish from readers each day.

Point taken. To be sure, Spout Off works partly because we allow readers to state what they really think about the issues of the day without attaching their names to their comments.

I should point out, though, that we don't publish Spout Offs from readers if they are unnecessarily unfair, mean-spirited, factually incorrect, or are personal attacks on individuals. And, it goes without saying that many readers -- including this editor -- give anonymous comments less credibility than comments that come with names attached. That's why we avoid using unnamed sources in local news stories in the Northwest Florida Daily News.

All that stated, I want everyone to know that it's OK with me if you wish to remain anonymous when commenting about my blogs. I'd rather hear your critical comments anonymously than hear no comments at all.

And I do hope many of you will take the time to share your thoughts about how to eliminate government waste. Drew had a good comment earlier today, and I hope to see more like that.

Pat

"Anonymous" chickens

Rather than write about goats, perhaps I should write about "chickens."

I refer, of course, to those "anonymous" bloggers who claim that I have somehow lost my credibility.

If you want to take potshots at me, that's OK. I'm criticized pretty much daily. It comes with being the editor. And we all know how easy -- and cowardly -- it is to anonymously criticize people.

But if "anonymous" bloggers really want to impress fellow readers, they ought to take part in the discussion about government waste. Think of it this way: If you come up with a good way to trim government, then you'll REALLY look morally superior!

And put your name to your ideas. You'll look courageous and more credible all at the same time.

Cheers,
Pat

What should government cut?

OK, enough about goats.

Here's another subject about which I really want input from readers.

Namely, bloated government.

I spend a fair amount of time thinking about how our government spends our tax dollars. After a couple decades as a reporter and editor, I am of the general belief that government spending can be cut considerably if: 1) Wasteful spending is eliminated; and 2) Ineffective or unnecessary programs are chopped.

Here's where I want your help: Send me examples of government spending that you think is wasteful or unnecessary. Be as specific as possible. Think federal, state and local. And no sacred cows.

I await your input. And I hope I receive just as many replies to this one as I did to my blog about the goat t-shirts.

Thanks,
Pat

Goat criticism

A few folks are beating me up for giving publicity to the man in Crestview who is printing t-shirts making light of the story about a goat that expired after it was sexually assaulted by a man in the Mossy Head area.

Sorry folks, but it's news when an entrepreneur does something like this. I agree, it's highly unusual news, but "unusual" is a news value, just like prominence, timeliness and proximity.

By the way, my blog about the goat t-shirts has received more comments than any other blog I've posted in the past three weeks. Go figure.

Goat t-shirts for sale

You gotta admire creative entrepreneurs. They see an opportunity, and they take advantage of the moment. And often, they have a sense of humor.

In recent weeks, the Northwest Florida Daily News has published a couple of stories about a goat in the Mossy Head area that law enforcement officials say expired after it was sexually assaulted by a man.

A bar in Crestview -- Gecko's -- is now selling t-shirts for $10 apiece that are clearly in reference to the goat incident. The back of the t-shirts shows a cartoon goat with a goofy look on its face, along with the saying, "What happens in Mossy Head stays in Mossy Head."

Here's a photo:


The idea man behind the t-shirts is John Whitley of Fort Walton Beach. Mr. Whitley said it's just something he and a couple friends decided to do for fun. He also wants people to know that he's an animal lover, and the t-shirts aren't meant to suggest that mistreatment of animals is OK.

So far, about 100 people have purshased t-shirts, and Whitley and friends are printing 200 more of them. They're also creating a Web site that should be operating by this weekened called getyourgoattees.com.

And now you know.

left vs. right

In most states, arguments over politics boil down to whether a person is a left-winger or a right-winger.

Now, though, the political debate in Florida centers on whether a driver is a a left-laner or a right-laner.

A bill under consideration at the state legislature would require slow drivers in the left-hand lane to move to the right-hand lane if approached by a faster vehicle.

This same issue is a long-standing source of debate in the Daily News Spout Off column.

Not to prolong the discussion, but shouldn't common sense prevail here? If two lanes are headed in the same direction and you're in the left-hand lane and you're holding up faster cars behind you, move over to the right. We don't need another law; we just need everyone to use their heads.

Anyway, them's my thoughts.

Britney's shaved head

I don't normally follow the lives of pop divas, but every once in a while they become so strange that, well...you can't help but look. Sort of like they're a bad accident and you're driving by, if you know what I mean.

This morning I flipped on CNN and was greeted by video of Britney Spears with a shaved head!
Apparently she's got a couple new tattoos as well.

Britney, there are better ways to get publicity. Like, well, you could cut a dvd -- even a bad one -- or lip sync a song at next year's Super Bowl. Or party all night with your diva friends. But pu-leeze, grow some hair back on your head.

We can only hope you wear a hat the next time you show up at Destin Commons.

Political posturing over Iraq

I am disturbed by Friday's U.S. House of Representatives vote in favor of a nonbinding resolution opposing President Bush's decision to send additional troops to Iraq.

Yes, the war is nationally unpopular. Yes, it's a mess and significant mistakes have been made. I also think the Bush administration used flimsy information about purported weapons of mass destruction and supposed links to al Qaida to convince the public and Congress to support the invasion of Iraq.

But the fact is that our soldiers are now in Iraq doing their duty for their country, and they need our support. This resolution was little more than political posturing that will do nothing to help the troops on the ground and may hurt them.

If someone, anyone, knows a way out of Iraq that also gives democracy a fighting chance there, let's hear it. The debate needs to continue. But quit playing politics.

The Lory West tape dilemma

The Northwest Florida Daily News faced a difficult choice on Wednesday.

Lory West was sentenced to four years in prison earier in the day for a 2005 incident in which she hit an illegal immigrant who was riding a bicycle in Destin, then drove home rather than stop.

At West's sentencing, prosecutors played a tape of West speaking from jail to relatives and her boyfriend. On the tape, West spews obscenities and makes repeated derogatory remarks about the victim, Elcio Pimental, and illegal immigrants in general. Prosecutors used the tape to demonstrate West's lack of remorse for the incident.

The Daily News has obtained a copy of the tape, and considered posting it on our Web site. But after listening to it, I decided two things. First, the tape contains so many obscenities and racial slurs that it would be impossible to post an intelligble version of the tape if we attempted to beep out all the offinsive words. Secondly, I decided that I didn't want to post such an obscenity-filled tape raw on our Web site, even though the West case has been very high profile and very controversial.

So we didn't post the tape on our Web site.

Did I make the right choice? Let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Pat Rice
Editor
Northwest Florida Daily News

Drew misunderstood me!

I'd like to thank Drew for his response to my view that the cable news channels have devoted WAY TOO MUCH time to the death of Anna Nicole Smith. (By the way, I learned today from the cable news stations that Smtih is STILL dead.)

However, Drew mischaracterized my Sunday column. He wrote: "Didn't you and your other editor, Del (Stone), yell at us and complain that we should shut-up and read what's in our newspaper because it's what WE want?"

Actually, what I wrote, specifically, is "editors can’t forget that we’re the ones who choose what to offer our readers in the first place."

And that's my point about the cable news channels; THEY, not their viewers, have decided to cover Smith's death for hours and hours. And to do that they've sacrificed news about the war in Iraq, and especially the deaths of soldiers who are fighting that war on our behalf.

Enough with Anna Nicole Smith!

"Ridiculous" is the main word that comes to mind to descrite the cable news coverage of Anna Nicole Smith since she turned up dead in a casino hotel room last week.

Smith died on Thursday. This morning -- Monday -- FOX News and MSNBC were STILL devoting lengthy segments at the top of the hour to Smith's death and bizarre life. CNN waited until a few minutes into the hour before bringing up Smith, but also devoted a good amount of time to her.

Yes, we all like to be entertained with tantalizing details about a generally untalented-but-buxom blond woman from Texas who lives a life of excess, craves publicity, and then is consumed by it all. But there is such a thing as overkill.

All I'm asking for is balance. For example, several American soldiers died in Iraq last week. As cable news devoted hours of coverage to Smith, the stories about those soldiers were reduced to an occasional sentence of screen crawl.

I'd rather know about the lives of those soldiers than Anna Nicole Smith any day.

Okaloosa County's Judicial Center

A couple days ago, I posted a blog about the Northwest Florida Daily News libertarian-driven philosophy on our opinion pages. I explained that part of that philosophy is a belief in less, not more, government involvement in our lives.

In response, an anonymous blogger wrote: "Pat - What a great blog post. I only wish it were true. Too often you support the growth of government (Judicial Center!) "

Indeed, in my own column I have supported the need for a new Okaloosa County judicial complex to replace the current complex, which violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, and is a security nightmare. So the county should replace it.

But I think the county can replace the current judicial complex AND pay for it by cutting spending in other areas. Government -- federal, state, county -- seems stuck in a pattern of constant growth, and I'm against that non-stop growth.

I hope this clarifies my position on the judicial complex.

Cut Bush slack for Obama comment

This week, some pundits have made hay of the fact that President Bush referred to Barack Obama as "articulate" during an interview on FOX News over the weekend. Apparently, the thinking is that Bush would never have referred to a white presidential candidate as "articulate," and therefore referring to Obama as "articulate" is somehow racist.

What baloney. The fact of the matter is that Obama is exceptionally articulate in much the same way that John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King Jr. or Ronald Reagan were exceptionally articulate.

Cut the president some slack, folks. There are plenty of important things to debate. This isn't one of them.

My Blue Oyster Cult story

Blue Oyster Cult is playing at The Block in Fort Walton Beach Thursday night. But my personal brush with the band occurred more than two decades ago.

My memory is a little hazy. I think the year was 1982, but that may be incorrect. I was a bellboy at the Inn on the Park in Madison, WI. I believe it was a Friday. I was working the morning shift, and arrived to work at about 6 a.m. The front desk manager immediately called me over and told me that the Blue Oyster Cult and friends were staying at the hotel. He said he heard it was the end of their tour, and they'd been partying all night. Guests were complaining. "You need to tell them to quiet down," he said.

So I got on the elevator and headed up to the Blue Oyster Cult floor. As the elevator approached the floor I could hear music that got progressively louder. When the door opened the music was LOUD. It appeared that a party was going on in several rooms at once, because several doors were open. I went to the first open door and sort of stood there until a fairly big guy -- I didn't get his name -- noticed me and asked me what I wanted.

"I've been sent to tell you to quiet down," I said. The guy laughed and went back to doing what he was doing. I got on the elevator and went back down to the lobby.

"Did you tell them to quiet down?" the desk manager asked.

"I told 'em," I said.

A few hours later, some limos pulled into the hotel driveway, Several people connected to the Blue Oyster Cult entourage came down, got in the limos, and off they went. I never saw them again.

Blue Oyster Cult, you guys rock!

a "foxy" response to CANTHINK

Someone with the anonymous handle of "canthink" has called me a "limousine liberal" who needs to pull my head out of my behind. He also writes that if I took a good look around I "might just be able to see that you are begging for the USA to be defeated by our enemies."

This diatribe is apparently in response to my view that FOX News slants the news to appeal to conservatives and the far right.

I think "canthink" just proved my point about FOX; it caters to people like "canthink."

However, he did get a couple facts wrong. For the record, I drive a 2004 Dodge Ram. Also, I'm not a liberal, as other members of the newsroom often point out to me. I believe in individual rights, low taxes and a strong national defense.

But I also like to get news from a consistently objective source.

Our libertarian opinion page

Ralph asks a couple good questions: Who writes our editorials, and do they all carry a libertarian point of view.

A majority of our editorials are locally written. Most of them are written by our opinion page editor, Jim Shoffner, with input from the editor and publisher. The Northwest Florida Daily News also carries editorials from other Freedom newspapers about national and international issues.

All of our editorials are written from a philosophically libertarian point of view, which I should point out has no connection to the Libertarian Party. In a nutshell, our editorials champion individual rights and responsibilities, and less government involvement in our lives whenever possible.

Personally speaking, I think we should eliminate 10 percent of total federal, state and local government spending by 2010, and see what happens. Start with some of the big federal programs, and go from there. Is there anyone out there who doesn't believe that at least 10 percent of federal government spending is fat? That's our money, folks, and I think we should all insist that we get to keep more of it.

Still searching for boat advice

My thanks to all the folks who took the time this week to write or call me with advice to help me in my search for a fishing boat.

Problem is, all that good advice has made me more confused than ever.

Some have advised me to buy new. Some have said buy used. Some have told me to buy big. Some counseled that I should buy small, then trade up in a couple of years. And a couple people suggested strongly that I give up while I'm still boatless.

Sorry, but I've convinced myself that I need a boat.

So the search continues. If anyone out there has any other advice, please share. My list of questions to ask boat sellers is a lot more thorough now than it was a week ago.

FOX, CNN and MSNBC

A nasty war of words has been brewing between FOX News, CNN and MSNBC, and I'm happy to report that it's getting nastier.

FOX is still the dominant channel by far, and clearly has had the best marketing strategy to this point. FOX slants the news to attract conservatives and Republicans, and they've left the other two networks to battle for everyone else.

In case you think I don't like FOX, you're absolutely right. Bill O'Reilly in particular is a weasel. I think the network has hoodwinked a lot of good people. They lost audience in 2006. As President Bush's ratings dropped, so did FOX.

But I'm also not a big fan of CNN, which also lost audience in 2006. They're just plain boring, despite some very nice haircuts.

MSNBC is gaining audience, but I wonder how long that will last. Keith Olberman can be hilarious, but he's too far left and approaches politics like he's still reading football statistics. Chris Matthews is brilliant but too loud. Joe Scarborough is, well, Joe Scarborough. The best thing MSNBC has going for it is Don Imus in the morning.