Category Archives: Media

Tragedies Rarely Lead to Closure

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Randall

I do not consider myself an overly philosophical kind of guy.  But there is a nagging, almost rhetorical, question which I have heard many times at the scene of a tragedy and that is, “Why?”  I just read another headline in the mainstream media about the mass murder in Colorado that said something like, “Aurora Searches for Answers While Community Grieves.” At the scene of a homicide, especially ones involving extreme violence, it is not uncommon to hear distraught victims, loved-ones, or witnesses ask for closure to make sense of something senseless.  Whether in consoling these individuals or in attempting to extract necessary information, their fixations can be both saddening … Continue reading →

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Majority Supports Stand Your Ground

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Randall

Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, Inc. conducted a telephone poll of 800 register voters across Florida from July 9, 2012 through July 11, 2012.  One of the questions involved Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.  Overwhelmingly, the voters polled supported Stand Your Ground.  It is interesting to see how the support and opposition are divided by gender, race, and region in the percentages.  Below are the results from Mason-Dixon: Question:  Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law states that a person is justified in the use of deadly force to defend themselves if they reasonably believe that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death, great bodily harm, or to prevent the commission of … Continue reading →

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Flawed Headline: “Lake County Deputies Kill Wrong Suspect”

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Randall

This is an unfortunate set of circumstances.  Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a request for assistance from the Leesburg Police in locating an attempted murder suspect.  The suspect, Jonathan Brown, and his motorcycle were spotted in the Blueberry Hills apartment complex at around 0130 hrs. yesterday. Not knowing where Brown was, deputies went to the apartment closest to the parked motorcycle.  They knocked on the door without announcing that they were the police.  Andrew Scott, the resident, opened the door and pointed a handgun at the deputies.  A deputy shot and killed Scott.  Brown was later found in an adjacent apartment in the same building. Blame is already … Continue reading →

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Florida Officer Fired For Writing Too Many Tickets…Well Sorta

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Randall

I’m sure by now everyone has read about the Palm Beach police officer fired for “writing too many tickets.”  It was repeated on numerous mainstream media sites.  Ad nauseum.  You really didn’t need to read between the lines to see it was a two-sided pissing contest. Really?  The guy was fired for writing 115 traffic tickets in a month?  By some standards that would be a modest four weeks of cites.  At my copshop, one officer who consistently writes over 300 cites a month should be drawn and quartered! Hopefully, it was plain as day that the termination was a politically motivated action.  The town instituted what amounts to a … Continue reading →

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Florida Highway Patrol the Latest Victim of Media’s Crystal Ball

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Randall

On January 29, 2012, there was a terrible series of crashes on I-75 in Alachua County in the Paynes Prairie Preserve area just south of Gainesville.  Smoke from a wildfire and early morning fog conspired to create deadly road conditions, which resulted in six vehicle crashes and 11 fatalities. A 38-page report released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement yesterday detailed a number of findings indicating the Florida Highway Patrol, and specifically FHP Lt. John Gourley, made decisions that morning which would ultimately impact the events on I-75. Following the release of this report, mainstream media outlets immediately slanted the findings of the report to insinuate that the FHP … Continue reading →

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Another Victim in the Trayvon Martin Case: Objectivity

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Randall

I have thus far avoided weighing in on the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman shooting out of Sanford, FL.   I did not want to speak prematurely, however… The controversial incident happened nearly a month ago in the small city outside Orlando.  In the ensuing weeks, public outrage over the shooting, the investigation, the chief of police, and the charge of racism has simmered over. Each day, the mainstream media has brought us a fistful of “breaking news,” fresh protests, and the latest in politicians and celebrities vying for the spotlight in the wake of this case.  In society’s current zeal for instant gratification, it seems no one has patience for the … Continue reading →

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