Publicity helps
criminal cause
By BILE OUTLAW
Assassination attempts, kidnappings, hijackings
and other acts of violence are increasingly being
committed because the assailants desire to do
something sensational.
In her recent attempt to assassinate the President
Squeaky Fromm e admitted she did it because she
knew she would receive publicity and have her
political views )and threats) aired. Sarah Moore
admitted she did not intend to kill the President, but
she just wanted some attention.
Several of the hijackings that occurred in a rash
have to be attributed to the publicity previous
hijackers had received in their feats. Kidnapping of
famous people, such as Patty Hearst, to use as
r litical vehicles for radical s such as the
ymbioniese Liberation Army (S&), would not be as
effective if it weren't for the publicity these groups
receive in their groups.
Further proof of this is evidenced by Tania's taped
messages to the press about her feelings toward
society. Whether it was willingly done by Hearst or
not, the fact remains that newspapers lapped it up
and the SLA had a means to espouse their political
convictions.
The same can be said for Squeaky From me and the
Charles Manson gang.
How effective would Arab terrorism be if it was not
played up by the press. The reporting of violent
crimes and the tendency to project violence as a way
of life rather a sick deviation from the norm can also
be attributed in part to the press and television.
Ironically it was William Randolph Hearst who
advocated sensatioralism in the-news. Un
fortunately, it was his granddaughter who was vic
timized by it.
Although the press can be cited as the tool for these
violent acts of sensationalism, the blame for this can
not rest with the press. The press is merely a
microphone for the voice of society. The press is
placed in the difficult position of reporting violence
and then being used by radicals to promote their self
righteous views.
An assissination attempt on a prominent political
official's life is news and the public has the right and
the need to be informed about it. The sam e is true of
hijackings, kidnappings.
The media can not and should not be blamed for
acts of violence, but it may be possible for the media
to play down the political ideas of the assailants.
Instead of writing about the history life of such
people as Charles M anson, Squeaky Fromme, Lee
Harvey Oswald, Richard Speck, etc., perhaps the
press could report more about the victims of such
violence. We seem to be making heroes out of the
criminals and ignoring the victims.
The press only prints news it believes its readers
will buy. It is a sad comment on the state of our
society to have to note that the press will probably
continue to be used as a forum for sensational crimes
to be committed and publicized. It is even sadder to
note that this is the type of thing the people want to
read.
GAMECXJCK
BILL PRATT, Editor
BULL OUTLAW, BILL GRAN'i
Editorial Page EdItor Mianaging Edit(
Smill
Striking
By PATRICK PIZZELLA
Bumper stickers in many
school zones this year are
reading "drive carefully
teachers picketing." In New
York, Chicago and numerous
other school systems, now in
cluding Boston, these public
employees entrusted with
educating the young members
of society did not show up to
work.
This unlawful act of kid
napping a child's education and
holding it for a ransom to be
paid by the taxpayers is
becoming a traditional rite of
the fall season. Teachers'
unions are not the only culprits.
Policemen in San Francisco and
Albuquerque; firemen in
Baltimore; and sanitation
workers in New York city have
used work stoppages (a
euphemism for strike) in the
past, forcing local governments
to agree to their demands. This
all leads to the question--should
public employees be allowed to
strike? I say no.
Webster defines public as
"...of, relating to, or affecting
all the people or the whole area
of a nation or state." Before I
d i scuss this further allow me to
distinguish the differences
between strikes in private .in
dustry and the public sector
For example, if the city of
Baltimore purchases its office
supplies, foruse in its municipal
buildings, from a local company
and all of a sudden the em
ployees of that company go on
strike: does that mean the city
bureaucracy stops functioning
until the company management
and the union reach an
,agreement? For the sake of the
r city of Baltimore hopefully not.
The city would probably seek
another supplier, and the free
for the cameras plei
)ut at stri
market system provides
numerous competitors.
In the industrial world of
private enterprise the strike is
universally recognized as a
weapon of labor. That is fair
play. But what if the fire
department employees go on
strike? What does the city of
Baltimore do then? One does
not simply phone Snelling &
Snelling and find a couple of
thousand experienced firemen.
Right now you may be
thinking to yourself why not
hire some of the unemployed
and train them to fight fires?
This might happen someday,
but many of the present mayors
involved in these disputes ap
pear to have graduated frm
thinkingoto ycorslf why ottln
anFranso thst scho fis
Thisught qiethat somedjust
give mny tof the presens dmayors,
inolmate ina the disute ap
thempliaton Schoo for Stling
Hadartewrers in San
Francisco, sthis school $1,00f
tho . ugt rqire that loeost
nos matc ha th guno
implicratar tor peope im
mitepting tol the taxaes.
Frnco stafrt oth at 17,00m
year). Bueimyuloe rikeshe
pealcefl Peickent linenkain
cheors react toineople sat
many sufears the "Astreom
public employeesrikesTe
nothing less than an intent on
their part to prevent or obstruct
the operations of government
until their demands are
satisfied. Such action, looking
toward the paralysis of
government by those who have
sworn to support it, is un
thinkable and intolerable."
Ekse
kes
People who are employed in
public service jobs do so at their
own choosing. They often select
these jobs for reasons of
security. How many garbage
workers have been put out of
work due to automation? How
many governments in this
country have gone out of
business leaving its employees
out of work?
When a private business goes
bankrupt it often dismisses its
work force and sells its plant
and equipment in order to pay
off its debts. If New York city
should file bankruptcy papers
will the policemen be out of
work or the subways grind to a
standstill? No, because these
These jobs are " ncsa foh
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pubivervents do sohat publir
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worker the aree puting. o
wo de eftv autmatiocient,
magovernments irn byths
cunry hae oeig oulic
busneas wlleaing it s ml y
shutting wown oakgven
Wen. ivt usnssge
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wrke forces anud elst se pa
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