Potter off target
Re "Fear Itself" [April 8]: I know City Paper leans to the left far more than my own viewpoints. Still, I think it to be indecent to publish these liberal viewpoints before the fallen officers were even laid to final rest. Before Chris Potter used the platform of a widely read city publication to espouse his own political views, he could have written a non-partisan, non-biased, facts-only based story on the outpouring of national police support, the strong showing of community support, the lives of the fallen officers, or even a revision of the chain of events on April 4 as more facts came to light throughout the week.
Second, even if I agreed that this was an appropriate time and forum for Potter's views, his bias was, though typical, stark in its lack of criticism for the Democratic Party. Where is his criticism of President Obama? Does Potter forget Obama's stance on banning assault weapons during his campaign? Perhaps Potter does remember, but cannot bring himself to mention, the "Blue Dog" Democratic resistance to any further legislation involving gun control? Perhaps Potter does not listen to the rhetoric from the Obama administration, which has effectively silenced all intra-party debates on bringing forth new gun-control measures.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, he offers many excuses for the actions of [accused shooter] Richard Poplawski. Citing such liberal scapegoats as Glenn Beck and using inflammatory statements such as, "our culture, especially on the right, so often encourages hair-trigger rage," Potter seeks to draw a connection to the far right and Poplawski's actions. While Poplawski may have been influenced by the words and voices of the right wing, Potter ignores the two biggest influences in Poplawski's life: his mother and father.
I know it is against liberal dogma to talk about the influence of the traditional family structure, so Potter's omissions come as no surprise. I listen to conservative talk radio, I watch Fox News, and my own views are on the right. However, my mother and father taught me respect for authority, the value of a human life, and gun safety. I would never imagine attacking the protectors of society. My parents taught me better than that.
-- William Fleske, Sheraden
