SANTA HAS HAD ENOUGH OF PREACHERS CRYING WOLF!!

If you have not read my previous post please go to it and read it now it is of a story that happened in my home town... Do this now if you already have continue on

I posted last night and felt I went on a little and was wondering what response I would get on my comments.... I guess everyone is busy with the holiday I got a few comments and appriciate them whole heartedly. This is what I took out of the same paper today!! Read on bitches..

The editor explains ...


Friday, December 23, 2005




There are moments in the life of a newspaper editor when you pick up the paper and your heart soars. Your reporters have broken a great story, your photographer captured just the right moment, your staff just nailed it.

Then there are days when your heart sinks. For me, Tuesday was one of those heart-sinking days.

Our headline - "Police shooting justified?" - placed over the lead story about the fatal shooting of an armed robber in the Midlothian Dunkin' Donuts, did not accurately convey the point of the story. The headline took one part of the story, a politically motivated criticism of police, and presented it in the wrong context.

To clarify for our readers and today's letter writers, reporters do not write headlines. They report and write stories. Editors read and edit those stories and decide story placement. Copy editors write headlines - and attempt to write headlines that capture the attention of busy readers, particularly on Page 1 stories.

The facts of the story, however, did not justify this headline.

- Dennis Robaugh, managing editor



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Readers defend shooting
of robber in Midlothian
Family should ask themselves

I read and heard on the news about the shooting of the man who robbed a Dunkin' Donuts in Midlothian. I think the family should look to themselves for answers to why the suspect was crawling through a window and pistol-whipped an employee of the establishment.

I wonder what action they would have done if the same thing would have happened to them. It is high time people are accountable for their actions. If someone commits a crime, points a gun at someone and makes a decision to rob, hurt and even possibly kill someone, then he made his decisions, and the consequences of his actions was being shot and killed.

He had a gun; he used it to pistol whip an employee; he pointed it at an officer. He is responsible for his own death.

To the family members if you cared so much, where were you when he decided to take this route?

Pamela Gray
Hammond, Ind.




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Facts don't justify headline

Please put me in my place if I'm wrong, but from what I can tell this man was attempting to rob the shop, then produced a weapon which made it an armed robbery, beat the hell out of one of the employees, then when he saw police he pointed his gun at them.

Police then shot him.

Those are the facts you give in your article, so why is your headline "Police shooting justified?"

What's with the question mark? I'm no lawyer, but that case sounds like a slam dunk to me.

Tony Caturano
Orland Park




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Why the question mark?

Let me preface this by saying I am not a subscriber to the Daily Southtown but do occasionally read the articles that are relevant on the Internet.

I am a Chicago police officer and I live in the West Beverly neighborhood, and I am outraged by the slant taken in the Dec. 20, 2005, article about the police shooting that occurred in Midlothian. I have never been angered enough by a piece of writing that I had to send a letter to the editor. Until today!

From the headline of "Police Shooting Justified?" at the start it is apparent that you have taken the side of the "gentleman" who was robbing the Dunkin' Donuts at gunpoint and happened to get killed.

What evidence do you have that this was not justified that would warrant the question mark in the headline?

Each witness that was interviewed stated the police were justified except the omnipresent ministers and family members who come forward to get in on the inevitable lawsuit. May I ask where they were when this misguided creature was committing his crime?

Your first paragraph informs us that it was Mr. Pounds' birthday. Well whoop-de-do! That is extremely relevant to the case, huh?

The man (and I use that term loosely) was robbing a store at GUNPOINT! Would you care that it was his birthday if the employee were related to you? How about the police officers who will now undoubtedly have nightmares about the gun that was pointed at them?

Do you think the upcoming holidays they will share with their families will be a little bit more somber knowing that they could have been killed by an idiot who created havoc for a living?

How about your next paragraph where the offender's brother is interviewed and also later in the article where there is a statement about how he "hoped" to start a job in the spring? Must be nice not to have to work 'til then, huh?

And he was "striving to stay on the right track."

BY ROBBING A STORE? ARMED?!

Police officers are people, too. Why don't you think about that next time you right a touching story about the poor family who will be missing their felon this Christmas.

This is merely another example of a misguided cry of racism as that offender needed to be stopped by lethal force whether he was white, black, Hispanic or Oriental.

Sometimes when the threat is elevated, criminals need to be killed and this criminal needed to be killed.

I wish a Merry Christmas to each of the officers involved and extend to them a hearty "well done."

As for you, I would hope that in the future you show some better judgment in your writing.

Andrew McGlynn
Chicago




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Focus on the facts

How can you even title this article with a question mark? Let me guess, Bobby Pounds went to Dunkin' Donuts because he likes the coffee. I mean every citizen goes to Dunkin' Donuts carrying a gun.

Let's stay focused on the facts. Unfortunately, one of the facts is the offender is an African-American. I did not read anything about the ethnic background of the victim that was just doing his/her job at Dunkin' Donuts.

Let's not allow some so-called reverend to skew the facts by trying to make the offender a victim. Bobby Pounds chose to commit a brutal crime, knowing there could be severe consequences for his actions.

This is not an issue about open season on African-Americans, it is an issue about a violent offender making a bad decision. I find Rev. Lance Davis' comments to be an insult to all law-abiding Americans.

The police responded to the actions of Bobby Pounds.

The police are sworn to protect persons and property. An offender beating a victim up while holding a gun is clearly a threat to the victim. I am sure if Rev. Davis was the victim, working his job at Dunkin Donuts that night, he would have been glad that the police prevented any further tragedy.

This incident is tragic, but let's not forget who initiated the seriousness of the incident.

M. O'Hern
Tinley Park




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