Legislative in-action
Here is your Rogue’s Gallery on School Shootings and Dead Children. Thoughts and prayers from Senators:
• John McCain
• Richard Burr
• Roy Blunt
• Thom Tillis
• Cory Gardner
• Marco Rubio
• Joni Ernst
• Rob Portman
• Todd Young
• Bill Cassidy
Heartbreak in the House of Representatives:
• French Hill
• Ken Buck
• David Young
• Mike Simpson
• Greg Gianforte
• Don Young
• Lloyd Smucker
• Bruce Poliquin
• Pete Sessions
• Barbara Comstock
And blood money from the National Rifle Association.
All takers.
All talkers.
No action.
Roger Briggs
Sequim
Headlines glorify those with evil intent
My thoughts on the Florida shootings: If I were in the congress or senate I would push for legislation to ban the broadcast of the name and picture of the perpetrator of the crime on mass media. Make it illegal. Getting his/her name and picture broadcast or printed is just what the killer wants. His picture and name would surely be available on a need to know basis from the police.
If the killer was at large, the picture would logically be printed. Other than that, no picture or name.
I like the way Paul Harvey used to handle this situation. After the story, he would say, “The killer would like me to mention his name.” He would then be on next story.
The message was clear. I am not going to give the killer the glory he craves. This treatment would deprive no one of their second amendment rights and could be the strongest deterrent to killings like this one.
That being said, I am sure that if we tried to legislate such a decree, we would hear an uproar about violating Fist Amendment rights. (Ironically, that might come loudest from those currently trying to limit free speech on campuses of universities).
The better path may be to campaign for media outlets to voluntarily censure themselves against doing such a irresponsible thing as encouraging mass murders by giving them free publicity and glorification.
Something similar has occurred with the mass media’s ability to make the mere use or uttering of the N-word an equivalent crime to using profanity or saying treasonous or overtly racist comments on the air. Such things violate their principles and policies.
Radio and TV personalities making unintentional slips that someone might construe as offensive are routinely fired with prejudice. If the media were to decide, or be convinced that publishing the name and picture of a killer is worse for society than someone being offended by verbal or written slights, insults or “racist” comments, then there would be no need for government or congressional censorship.
Self-censorship would be the right thing to do. Any non-compliant news outlet would be humiliated if they were the one guilty of encouraging the next mass murderer.
Richard Davies
Sequim
Consider emergency aid via the sea
Wednesday’s (Feb. 14) special insert on disaster preparedness and recovery was informative, but an important recovery option seems to be lacking.
We are basically seacoast communities, and I saw no mention of recovery efforts by sea. Nearly all of the “islands” have coastal beaches or bays.
Supplies and medical help could be beached within reach of most of our population, when roads and airports are unusable. A hospital ship like the USS Hope could even be positioned within reach.
Hopefully someone reading this will know how to bring this option to the planning area people.
It may already be under consideration, but after FEMA’s operations in Puerto Rico, I did not want to miss an opportunity to bring it to light now.
Gerald Carpenter
Sequim
