Mr. Pastis,
I am very much concerned about the way you reported from the “Candidates Forum” for the two Sheriff candidates on Wednesday 26th of April in front of our Rotary Club!
I think it would have been more honest of you to choose a title: ”Vote for Boudreaux – I do not like Whaley!”
To put a photo up front on the article showing Mr. Boudreaux active and “Whaley looks at him…..” is a well-known psychological trick of journalists who should be neutral in their comments when they want to support one candidate!
The primitive time to show just a bad photo of someone who you do not like is over. You chose the more sophisticated way but it is the same effect.
I know and Mr. Whaley stated this as well but with less show effect than Mr. Boudreaux, that his top priority is, how should and how can it be different, to provide a safe community. That is the main purpose why we need law enforcement and it is so unimportant as to say we need air to breath!
But the other top priority is to provide this safe community in a manner that the citizens can be sure that their sheriff and his officers are not acting unconstitutional in putting themselves above the law! It is a bad action by a law enforcement officer or a Sheriff trying to make it looking ridiculous when he has put himself above the law. And you supported that effort of Mr. Boudreaux when you showed his Quote in an extra box within the text on page 8! No action of wrong doing by a law enforcement institution or officer can be little enough to be ignored and not seriously criticized if it tries to put itself or himself above the law! And that happens unfortunately not only with the gun raffle but also what we could see on the roads when officers in uniform and with sheriff cars put up signs for Mr. Boudreaux! We were also told by acquaintances that officers were knocking on doors asking if they could put up signs for Mr. Boudreaux’s campaign. I couldn’t swear on this because I was not a witness but it matches with the other occurrences.
I still think that we have enough good and law respecting law enforcement officers and that we can still trust the majority of them, but officer involved shootings with unarmed men, out of control men hunts endangering innocent citizens accidentally hit, rude way of arrests of people who have not be convicted yet and have to be taken as innocent and so on, and so on…… I fear that more than any gang activities because if it hits you as a loyal citizen you cannot defend yourself and that makes me goose bumps whenever I am thinking about!
Law enforcement officers and officials should give a firm and good example when it comes to obey the law. They shouldn’t bend it the way how it fits their opinion or covers their activities!
I know that my open statement could be risky for me but I had to write it, helping with my little influence to provide a safer community, safe from that ugly face of wrong doings by the law enforcement!
R. Michael Schauffele
Response: Your assessment of my motivations was much more interesting than the truth. — Steve Pastis