Monday's Random Thoughts

Hey, I'm back after a brief break. Had lots to write about, just not enough time to do it in.



HATIN' THE GAME: When it comes to the pundits in the political arena, California is as blue as a state can be.
But if CNN's John King took his magical touch screen map that breaks down each state by counties and colors, I'd bet we'd see a bunch more red than people would expect.
I know. I live in the middle of it.
Everyone knows about the ultra-conservative enclave of Orange County, but head northeast into the Inland Empire, and you'll find Republicans have a pretty good stronghold here, from local government on up to federal office. How do you think Prop. 8 got passed in California, of all places? I saw more family first bumper stickers and signs per mile during election season. Heck, I saw someone driving with a No on Prop. 1A sticker on the back of their car Wednesday (as if that was going to pass).
It's actually a pretty good relationship. The Republican-types are able to make sure that things don't get out of control, while realizing that LA and San Francisco voters are going outnumber them in most of the national races.
But what gets me is when it gets all hateful.
I noticed it over the weekend when 3-year-old Briant Rodriguez was found alive in Mexico. It was a happy time to know that this child, taken from his home by intruders, was OK. It was going to be a happy reunion. And my paper was documenting it.
As with many papers, our stories allow comments from readers on the stories. And I made the mistake of reading them.
Things like (paraphrasing): "Just wait until the truth comes out." "That mom looks worried (in the picture) because he was her anchor baby, keeping her here." "I'm sure it had to do with a bad drug deal/coyote payment/immigration issue."
Sure, there most were offset with "Oh, we're glad he was found, but..." It was that way on our competition's comment boards as well.
How about we stop and take into consideration the circumstances before we speak. The comments about the picture really got me. Our picture (see it in this story) was of her, sitting in a car with her son on the way to the hospital, after he had been gone nearly two weeks, after she had been on what was probably her second airplane flight ever, after a wild two days after finding out her son was likely alive ... with a photographer snapping pictures nearly paparazzi style. How do you think she should look?
Thank goodness for the S.B. County Sheriff, Rod Hoops, too. When asked about the mom's immigration status, he turned it back around to "Who cares, the boy was born here, and he's our priority." I'm sure that pissed off the Minutemen types out there.
Probably Dick Cheney, too. Oh, there I go, getting started on him.
Ya know, Dick, if you're worried, why don't you get your huntin' rifle and go start shooting people in the face.
You're doing more damage to this country now than you were as Vice President (which, with his track record, is hard to believe). It's one thing to have meaningful dialogs. But the hate and fear that he's spewing from that pie hole is not doing anything to help the country. You have ideas, present them to the people making the decisions.
Let's face it, you had your turn, Dick. You ran the country for eight years, and had the right to run for the top office to give it another four. Stop going on TV and radio and reminding us of 9/11. We remember. Stop going on and saying that thanks to the changes after 9/11, there were no more attacks. If you'd have stopped that one in the first place, maybe we'd be impressed.
deep, cleansing breath ... count to 10 ... calming ... calming ... OK, better. What was I talking about again? Oh yeah...
So, what was a happy occasion, of a kidnapped boy, being found alive in Mexico after two weeks, suddenly became this bash the "illegals" campaign. And, hey, she admitted they're working to get their documents. But her husband is also working as a cabinet builder, supporting his family. They're paying taxes (we all do when we go shopping), and contributing to society. And now, fearing for their safety, thinking of moving.
It was a happy ending to a scary story. Let's just leave it at that, and let these folks have their lives, without judging them for reaching for their piece of the American dream in a way, that while technically illegal, is sadly not uncommon. It's not our job, as a society, to do that.

BROKEN NEWS: The whole story of the recovery of Briant Rodriguez was a big, fat exclusive that my paper, the Press-Enterprise, got late a couple of Fridays ago. It was so big, that the decision was made to keep the story off the paper's Web site overnight, so not even TV outlets could be tipped off about it.
The thrill of having an exclusive of that magnitude was one that a lot of us hadn't felt for a while, and we were reveling in it.
And for those of us who used to work for the Inland LANG papers, it was even more so. Just the thought of their faces the next morning was enough to make us want to dance jigs.
Then, we got 'em again, with a Web-only story Wednesday night documenting him being home. Our staff was working hard and getting the stories and getting it out there.
By Friday, though, I realized how hollow it all was.
Sam Maloof, the renowned woodworker, died. He was an icon in the area. Lived in Rancho Cucamonga. The flurry of e-mails from our top bosses to the Web team was overwhelming. Post this picture. Here's a timeline, post it. Here's more pictures. Here's another item. It was a massive effort.
Meanwhile, over on the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin's Web site, there was ... nothing. Oh, I saw a couple of blog postings from their reporters in the module that collects those. But no big photo. No big story. Nothing, until 10:25 or so at night (which was the earliest I checked and saw it).
It just made me shake my head. The staff over there has been cut so much that they weren't even able to put on their home page, the main portal to the site, anything of substance about a man who has brought more attention to the region than maybe anyone ever.
We journalists take pride in doing our best, and getting out in front on stories to bury the competition. But when the competition's already buried up to its neck by its own management, it's hard to enjoy the victory. It's actually rather sad.
I still know a few of the people who work there, and have the utmost respect for the job they continue to do under the most dire of conditions. But they deserve a better fate than this.
And so do the readers.