Here's a first: a blog post for a commenter

I’m going to do something I’ve never done before. I’m going to address a commenter’s remarks in a blog post.

Here is the comment:

• Funny Jim - I have not seen you focus on anything positive in Bossier since the blog started - you have determined the entire leadership of the school board, the city of bossier city, and the district attorney's office need to go - what is left - the library system. I dont see how you wake up in this community each day without being in a horrible state of depression. It must really suck to see the world from such a half empty perspective. We have good leaders in this community that try to do the right thing - but crap happens and people with very little information attack peoples character with no basis - it is a wonder that anyone would do those jobs - you know its kind of like anytime one cop does something wrong - the entire department is suddenly a bunch of crooks, civil rights violators or thugs - i am sure you can relate to that

Let’s break it down.

• “you have determined the entire leadership of the school board, the city of bossier city, and the district attorney's office need to go - what is left - the library system.”

There was obviously a lack of supervision in the school board when employees stole almost $1,000,000. I questioned appointing the person who was in charge of administration to be the next superintendent. He is not the ‘entire leadership’ of the school board, and I never once suggested that he ‘needed to go’.

• “the city of bossier city”.

Again, I questioned the continued hiring and spending when the mayor and council knew that had a budget problem. I opposed the layoffs. I never once said that any official in Bossier City ‘needed to go’.

• “The DA’s office.”

Herein lies the commenter’s problem. I have questioned what appears to be an excessive number of ‘nol-prossed’ charges, even when the First Assistant DA stated that an individual would be prosecuted ‘to the fullest extent of the law’. That entailed taking a plea on one charge and dropping 5 others.

Still, I had no major problem with the DA until someone in his Bossier office gave information to Eric Johnson, a Minden attorney, who twisted the facts to feed to The Inquisitor in an effort to discredit my son, a police officer. Why would they want to do that? Because he had arrested one of their own. Thankfully, Danny Lawler has more integrity and character than the individual in the DA’s office who did this, and did not put this in print without giving an opportunity to refute.

Louisiana has a ‘must arrest’ policy for domestic violence cases, which means that if it even appears to the officer that domestic violence has occurred, he ‘must arrest’. The DA apparently has a ‘must not’ arrest policy if the arrestee is one of his friends or employees.

What is so troubling about this is that they believe that it is perfectly all right to act in this manner.

It is not.

I think the problem with lawyers is that as a result of their profession, they become so caught up in what is ‘legal’, that they forget sometimes what is right and what is wrong. The individual who did this, with or without the support of the District Attorney himself, should be ashamed.

• “I dont see how you wake up in this community each day without being in a horrible state of depression. It must really suck to see the world from such a half empty perspective.”

I wake up every morning looking forward to the day. I have a wonderful family, great friends, and I do not have a ‘half empty’ perspective. I got a new lease on life about 7 years ago and have relished every day since.

• “We have good leaders in this community that try to do the right thing - but crap happens and people with very little information attack peoples character with no basis - it is a wonder that anyone would do those jobs”

We do have a lot of good elected officials. You look at them as leaders, I prefer to look at them as public servants, the role they claim when they are running for office. Crap doesn’t happen, it is caused to happen. I have not attacked anyone’s character, unless you consider relating the facts an attack.

As to whether it is a wonder anyone would do the jobs, that is their choice. They know, or should know, when they seek office, that they are accountable to the people. As Harry Truman said, ‘if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

• “you know its kind of like anytime one cop does something wrong - the entire department is suddenly a bunch of crooks, civil rights violators or thugs - i am sure you can relate to that”

No, actually I can’t. I’ve never worked in law enforcement, but if you want me to apologize for supporting the people who do, you’ll have a long wait.

Blogging is a great thing. On my blog I get to express my opinions about what is going on around us. Although some bloggers choose to comment on national politics and such, I find that I like to comment on what is happening in our area. I have from the beginning had an open comments section and welcome comments, like the one above, from people of all persuasions.

I started My Bossier about two years ago and it has had a good response. Last month was the biggest we have had yet, with 19,247 hits and 433 comments. That’s not bad for a local blog. This month, we’re closer to normal with an average of between 300 and 350 hits a day. (A ‘hit’ is anyone coming to the blog either through a link or directly to the site.)

Keep on reading, and keep on commenting!