Methods of Reducing National Crime

Crime is a terrible aspect of all societies. For those that have not experienced it, crime may seem like a far-off thing that is not part of your reality. However, once you yourself become a victim, such as robbery or perhaps something far worse, you realize how serious and critical dealing with crime is. Of course, you do not need to be a victim to have this realization. You just need to be fully aware that it is out there, there are hundreds of thousands of victims, and everybody pays the cost. Part of your taxes goes towards not only paying for law enforcement, but for paying for the damages of crime.

There are many things that the government can do to reduce crime. This includes setting up programs to help reduce poverty, increasing law enforcement efforts in high-crime areas, and improving the economy to allow more natural opportunity. The majority of people turn to crime out of necessity, so if people do not need to commit crimes, they like will not.

In your own neighborhood, there are several measure you can take to increase the safety of your home and those around you. Neighborhood watch programs are quite popular, although they are unnecessary if there is no crime in your neighborhood. However, if there is a fair amount of it, then you can band together with your neighbors and do something about it. If you see crime going down, it is legal to make a "citizen's arrest", and if the perp tries anything, you can always tase them to the ground.

To defend yourself, you need to know how to street fight [http://howtostreetfighttips.com]. Remember, the importance of self defense [http://howtostreetfighttips.com/2009/09/the-importance-of-self-defense/] cannot be stressed enough.

Abilene Reporter-News: Morning state, national, international headlines, July 14

TOP STORIES

DEBT SHOWDOWN

WASHINGTON Amid new warnings and fresh signs of strain, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders are entering a perilous debt-limit endgame. The president, declaring "enough is enough," is demanding that budget negotiators find common ground by week's end even as the Senate's top Republican gained followers for his own last-ditch scheme to avoid a government default. By Jim Kuhnhenn.

AP photos.

DEBT SHOWDOWN-COMPUTER GAME Computer game gives people shot at managing budget.

BRITAIN-PHONE HACKING

LONDON The former deputy editor of the News of the World is arrested in the widening investigation into phone hacking at the defunct tabloid whose owner, Rupert Murdoch, came under more pressure to answer lawmakers' questions about the scandal. By Robert Barr.

AP photos.

INDIA-EXPLOSIONS

MUMBAI, India There are no immediate suspects in the triple bombing that killed 17 people in India's financial capital and the attack came without warning, the country's top security official says, while shell-shocked residents lambasted the government for the apparent intelligence breakdown. By Nirmala George.

AP photos, video.

FOOD MARKETING-CHILDREN

WASHINGTON The nation's largest food companies say they will cut back on marketing unhealthier foods to children, proposing their own set of advertising standards after rejecting similar guidelines proposed by the federal government. By Mary Clare Jalonick.

AP photo.

ARAB SPRING STALLED

CAIRO A protester's hand-drawn map of the Arab Spring shows black target symbols over each country hit by uprisings since Egypt's rebellion five months ago. But the bull's-eyes could easily be replaced with question marks as the groundswell for change has splintered into scattered and indecisive conflicts that have left thousands dead and Western policy makers juggling roles from NATO airstrikes in Libya to worried bystanders in Syria and Yemen. By Brian Murphy and Barbara Surk.

AP photos, video.

TUNISIA-TOURISM BLUES Tunisia's economy staggers as regional unrest keeps tourists away from the beaches. AP photos.

SYRIA Syrian activists say eight people killed in past 24 hours.

LIBYA-DIPLOMACY Turkey to propose "road map" to end Libyan crisis at Istanbul meeting.

EGYPT Mubarak denies ordering the killing of protesters during Egypt's uprising. AP photos.

WWCUP-FRANCE-US

MOENCHENGLADBACH, Germany Somehow, the Americans seem to find a way to win. And more often than not, Abby Wambach has something to do with it. With time running out and France giving the United States all it could handle and then some, Wambach's winner in the 79th minute put her teammates at ease and set off celebrations on two continents. The 3-1 victory has the Americans in the World Cup final. By National Writer Nancy Armour.

AP photos, videos.

NATIONAL

CALIFORNIA-CARMAGEDDON

LOS ANGELES Thousands of doctors and nurses will bunk out at hospitals this weekend, the city's emergency operations center will open and residents are stocking up on food. The crisis? An 11-mile stretch of Interstate 405 a vital artery that snakes through Southern California is shutting down for 53 hours early Saturday for repairs, no exceptions, and the closure promises to generate gridlock rarely seen even in California's car-dependent culture. By Daisy Nguyen.

AP photos.

MISSING BOY

NEW YORK Funeral services are held for 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky, who disappeared as he walked home alone from day camp. Police have charged 35-year-old Levi Aron, who lives in Leiby's Borough Park neighborhood, with second degree murder. By Colleen Long.

AP photos, videos.

BETTY FORD FUNERAL

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. Hundreds of people who admired former First Lady Betty Ford are expected to gather along the route from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum to the Episcopal church where she is to be memorialized for a final time. Ford will be buried Thursday in the city where she grew up and wed the man who became the only president from Michigan. By Kathy Barks Hoffman.

AP photo.

WHITEY BULGER-COMPANION Girlfriend of ex-Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger offers glimpse of her defense to fugitive harboring charge.

KIDNAPPED GIRL FOUND Prosecutors release videos by Jaycee Dugard captors showing children in playground. AP photos.

ROLLER COASTER DEATH Disabled soldier killed on upstate New York roller coaster mixed humor with tenacity while rebuilding life.

POLITICS

GIULIANI-2012

CONCORD, N.H. Rudy Giuliani isn't convinced that any of the declared Republican presidential contenders can defeat Obama. Until he is, Giuliani says he won't rule out a run of his own. By Steve Peoples.

AP photos planned.

WASHINGTON

US-CLINTON Libya first item on packed agenda as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton kicks off round-the-world diplomatic tour. AP photo.

INTERNATIONAL

JAMAICA-BLUE LAGOON

PORT ANTONIO, Jamaica In a lush corner of Jamaica, a skirmish is under way over a spring-fed lagoon on a coast that was once a hideaway for the rich and famous and a setting for a film starring Brooke Shields. The Blue Lagoon's shore already is marred by an abandoned restaurant and a crumbling helicopter pad, and a new development is alarming conservationists who are trying to save one of Jamaica's most gorgeous natural attractions. By David McFadden.

AP photos.

AFGHANISTAN Suicide bomber strikes memorial service for Afghan president's slain half brother, killing four.

SCIENCE

MALAYSIA-ELUSIVE TOAD

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Scientists scouring the mountains of Borneo spotted a species of toads last seen by European explorers in 1924, providing the world with the first photographs of the colorful, spindly legged creature, a researcher says.

AP photo.

BUSINESS

NETFLIX-WHY THE PRICE HIKE?

NEW YORK Why is Netflix raising its prices? In part, because the company miscalculated how many people still want to receive DVDs by mail each month, a more expensive service to provide compared to its streamed Internet videos. By Business Writer Chip Cutter.

AP photos.

FORECLOSURE RATES Report: Delays in bank processing push likely U.S. foreclosures until 2012, stalling recovery. AP photo.

ENTERTAINMENT

EMMY NOMINATIONS

LOS ANGELES Emmy voters have a chance to flaunt their risk-taking side with the upcoming nominations. Among the candidates for an Emmy bid is HBO's fantasy adventure "Game of Thrones," which faces a TV academy history of resisting genre programs. By Lynn Elber.

AP photos.

REMEMBERING HARRY CHAPIN

HUNTINGTON, N.Y. Before there was Band Aid or Live Aid, a We Are the World or Hands Across America, there was singer-songwriter Harry Chapin lobbying for change in Congress, pestering an already convinced President Carter to establish a commission on world hunger, and passing the hat for donations at concerts large and small. By Frank Eltman.

AP photos.

GETTING ATTENTION

SEVERED PENIS Prosecutors say an argument over houseguests led a California woman to cut off her estranged husband's penis and put it down a garbage disposal. AP photos.

SPAIN-RUNNING OF THE BULLS No one gored in fast, final running of the bulls at Spain's San Fermin festival. AP photo.

CLEMENS-STEROIDS Attorneys for pitching great Roger Clemens questioning whether House probe into star's drug use exceeded authority.

JETER-FAN-BASEBALL CARD Fan who returned Derek Jeter's ball from 3,000th hit to get his own baseball card. AP photos.

BLOW HOLE-MAUI Tourists saw California man playing near Maui blow hole moments before wave knocked him down. AP photo.

SULLIVAN THEATER BREAK-IN Second break-in at "Late Show" theater in New York; man breaks door glass, gets inside vestibule. AP photo.

TEXAS

PERRY-VETS

SAN ANTONIO Gov. Rick Perry is in San Antonio touting a recently passed bill aimed at helping veterans. He'll be ceremonially signing the new law, which is intended to help vets get college credit for military training. Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, the San Antonio Democrat who authored the legislation, will join Perry to tout the College Credit for Heroes program. The bill signing is only ceremonial. Perry signed the legislation into law last month. By April Castro.

Eds: Will be updated after 11 a.m. CDT speech.

DROUGHT-CATTLE DEATHS

LUBBOCK, Texas The unrelenting Texas drought has produced a cruelly ironic twist: cattle dying from too much water. Agriculture officials in parched Texas said there are no hard numbers on how many head of cattle have died but reports of deaths from too much water or too little are showing up across the nation's leading cattle production state. "They over drink because they're thirsty," said Dr. Robert Sprowls of the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in Amarillo. "Once they fill up on water it happens pretty quickly." By Betsy Blaney.

CLEAN AIR-POWER PLANTS

DALLAS The major electric power provider for much of North and West Texas is considering how to respond to new federal clean-air regulations, including closing or reducing operations at some of its coal-fired plants and coal mines, according to a regulatory filing. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Energy Future Holdings Corp. said it was considering the shutdowns or slowdowns, as well as seasonal or temporary shutdowns. The Dallas-based owner of Luminant Generation Co. also said it was considering the option of installing scrubbers to remove sulfur dioxide from plant emissions, or even switching fuels to fire the furnaces that generate the steam used to generate electric power. By Terry Wallace.

AFGHAN WOMEN MILITARY PILOTS

SAN ANTONIO For women in Afghanistan, said Masooma Hussaini, it's not like "it was in Taliban times." Her sisters are in school, women work in offices and, by next year, Hussaini and three other young women could be among their country's first females piloting military helicopters. Their training in the U.S. is significant. The Afghan military has a small but growing female rank, yet the skies are almost an exclusive province for men, except for one Afghan woman trained in the Soviet era. By Paul J. Weber.

AP Photos.

PRAYER DAY LAWSUIT-TEXAS

AUSTIN, Texas A group of atheists and agnostics have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to stop an evangelical Christian prayer event next month that was proposed and is endorsed by Texas' governor. The Freedom from Religion Foundation argues in its lawsuit filed in Houston that Republican Gov. Rick Perry's day of prayer and fasting would violate the constitutional ban on the government endorsing a religion. The event, which is called The Response and is billed as Christian-only, is scheduled for Aug. 6 at Houston's Reliant Stadium. The complaint alleges Perry violated the First Amendment's establishment clause by organizing, promoting and participating in the event. By Chris Tomlinson.

CLEMENS-STEROIDS

WASHINGTON Prosecutors said that needles and cotton balls Roger Clemens' former trainer says he used to inject the star pitcher tested positive for Clemens' DNA and anabolic steroids evidence the defense said was faked. Assistant U.S. attorney Steven Durham revealed the results during opening arguments in Clemens' trial on charges of lying to Congress about using performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens' attorney Rusty Hardin responded that he won't dispute the needles contain Clemens' DNA and steroids, but accused the trainer Brian McNamee of "mixing" it up. By Nedra Pickler and Mark Sherman.

AP Photos.

PIZZA DELIVERY-DEATH

FORT WORTH, Texas Domino's is being sued by the widow of a Texas employee who died a year after being robbed and beaten with a baseball bat by teens who lured the deliveryman to a vacant house. The lawsuit alleges the company was negligent in failing to follow safety procedures and seeks "all damages" available under state law to Fred Rein's widow, Jackie, plus exemplary and punitive damages. The suit filed Monday in Tarrant County names as defendants the local franchise and national corporation, including Mark of Excellence Pizza Co., Domino's Pizza and Domino's Pizza Franchising, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

WARDEN'S WIFE

MANGUM, Okla. A defense attorney have attacked the prosecution's evidence in the case of a former Oklahoma warden's wife accused of helping a convicted killer escape, alleging that crucial witnesses weren't questioned by investigators and vital evidence wasn't tested. Bobbi Louaine Parker is accused of helping Randolph Franklin Dial escape on Aug. 30, 1994, from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Greer County where her husband, Randy Parker, was deputy warden. Prosecutors allege Bobbi Parker, 49, fell in love with Dial and became his mistress before helping him flee the prison and live in Texas for more than 10 years. They were found living in a mobile home at a chicken farm in East Texas in April 2005. Parker has pleaded not guilty to the felony charge and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. By Tim Talley.

Also:

OFFICER SHOT The condition of a West Texas police officer fighting for his life after he suffered a gunshot wound to the head has begun to show slight improvement.

TEXAS-POLICE CHASE Police frantically chased a woman speeding through three North Texas counties with two small children in the car with her.

TEXAS-CREEK ARREST A Florida man is in jail after police say he woke up punching after officers found him sleeping in a Texarkana, Texas, creek.

ARYAN BROTHERHOOD-KILLINGS A confidant of an East Texas man branded a "general" in a white-supremacist gang by prosecutors has gotten 10 years in prison for her part in a man's death.

DEAN FOODS-SETTLEMENT Dean Foods Co., one of the largest dairy distributors in the United States, says it has agreed to pay $140 million to settle a lawsuit over pricing with a group of dairy farmers in the Southeast.

PEOPLE-MINAJ-POLICE Records show police were called to a Dallas hotel after rapper Nicki Minaj argued with a friend, whom she said shoved a suitcase across her chin and lip.

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National news programs exploit crime victims and their families

THE OLYMPIAN | • Published June 15, 2011

If you watch any of the 24-hour cable news channels, you can’t avoid the nightly barrage of shows which focus, ad nauseam, on true crime stories with an emphasis on missing, exploited and murdered children.

It’s impossible to escape the coverage of a missing child; the most recent example is Caylee Anthony, whose mother is currently on trial for the child’s murder. Any redeeming value in shining a spotlight on a child victim who might possibly be found through tips from the viewing public is overshadowed by torrid voyeurism.

The players involved in the investigation become characters in a soap opera, made more sordid by the sensationalized television coverage. Each night, fingers are pointed, understandably, at family members who most often are legitimate “persons of interest.”

However, instead of neutral reporting about the status of the criminal investigation, viewers are treated to hours of reckless speculation about who killed the child and why. The anchors and the guests, who are most often legal commentators, essentially play a game of Clue in front of millions of viewers.

The family’s dirty laundry is aired, skeletons rattling in their closets. Innocent until proven guilty becomes guilty in the media until proven innocent in a court of law. Oftentimes, the evidence reported in the media is compelling. A person rightfully emerges as the perpetrator who should be vilified if indeed he or she did kill a child. Child killers do not deserve our sympathy, but perhaps their families do.

The grief of a family whose child is missing or murdered is unimaginable. Yet the media, often with reckless abandon, spotlights the grieving family, creating an insatiable desire in its viewers to learn increasingly salacious details each night. While the suspect’s adultery may be an issue in the case, do we, the public, need to know all of the graphic details, even if we secretly desire to play armchair detective?

Apparently, we do because some of these news programs share the transcripts of the racy text messages with audiences each night, while in the background a montage of pictures of the smiling child victim is displayed. I have often wondered how an innocent family member must feel if he or she came across such a program while channel surfing. How do you watch strangers on national television Monday morning quarterbacking your child’s murder?

In all fairness, some of the family members do seek out publicity; however, it is mostly to bring in tips, find the body or solve the murder. Desperate parents and relatives will often voluntarily appear on these shows in their pursuit of justice.

I recently observed one such interview by a well-respected morning anchor. The mother just learned that her murdered daughter’s body had been discovered. The anchor asked her, “How do you feel?” Hard-hitting journalism? Obviously not, because any person, whether a parent or not, knows the answer to that question. But the fact that the question is asked demonstrates the callous nature of news programs to crime victims and their families.

The coverage only intensifies once a suspect is brought to trial. Some might say this is the price we pay for having a judicial system which is fair, open and accessible to all. However, no one could have anticipated 24-hour news cycles which demand endless fodder to captivate a national audience, obtain ratings gold, and more importantly, the almighty ratings/advertising dollar.

Is the murder of a child newsworthy? Absolutely. But the reporting of it should be done with grace and empathy. Featuring nightly coverage of a child’s murder week after week is not journalism, but simply exploitation.

Ami Peterson, who lives and works in Olympia, is a member of The Olympian’s Board of Contributors. She can be reached at amipetersonoly@yahoo.com.

Victims pay price for sudden firings

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Victims pay price for sudden firings

Why did Jon Tunheim unfairly fire four deputy prosecutors who worked tirelessly to prosecute perpetrators of sexual assault for years? Did he think no one would pay attention during the holidays?

Was FBI too quick to judge anthrax suspect the killer?

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Was FBI too quick to judge anthrax suspect the killer?

Scouring the anthrax-laced mail that took five lives and terrorized the East Coast in 2001, laboratory scientists discovered a unique contaminant — a tiny scientific fingerprint that they hoped would help unmask the killer. Yet once FBI agents concluded that the likely culprit was Bruce Ivins, they stopped looking for the contaminant. That decision could reignite the debate over whether its agents found the real killer.

Where and when to watch the wedding

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Where and when to watch the wedding

CHICAGO – To say the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton will be a massive media revelry is, at best, an understatement. Every major U.S. and international news organization and cable channel is jockeying for position to broadcast live the British couple’s day of bliss.

Philippines allows live coverage of massacre trial

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Philippines allows live coverage of massacre trial

The Philippine Supreme Court will allow live broadcast coverage of the trial of members of a powerful clan accused in the killing of 57 people including 31 journalists in the country's worst political violence, a spokesman said Tuesday.

As Mideast roils, Al Jazeera finds its 'CNN moment'

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As Mideast roils, Al Jazeera finds its 'CNN moment'

What a difference the chain of Middle East uprisings — and a change of presidents in the White House — has made for Al Jazeera.

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