Opinion
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Editorial
The People's Press
N
o rational person can take sat-
isfaction from the shredding of
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's tissue
of lies. A promising young political leader
went off on a self-destructive path and
Detroit will have to pay the price, both in
treasure and reputation.
If there is any comfort in this episode,
it is that local news media and their legal
representatives did an outstanding job of
toppling the structure of deceit.
The Detroit Free Press and its attorney,
Herschel Fink, were at the spear's tip,
uncovering the incriminating text mes-
sages and then prying critical information
from the grip of an obstructionist city
government. Information, by the way, to
which the public is fully entitled.
Fink, who also represents the Detroit
Jewish News in matters of press law, called
the pattern of lies by the city's officials
and attorneys the worst he has seen in 30
years as a First Amendment attorney. As
is usually the case with these affairs, the
cover-up is proving to be more damaging
than the original offense. Perjury is no
trivial matter.
Predictably, supporters of the mayor
did their best to smear the media as sen-
sationalist and, of course, racist. That has
been the tactic whenever trouble loomed
in Detroit for the last 35 years.
Kilpatrick unashamedly tried to turn
this into a personal scenario, with mem-
bers of his family cast as the victims. He
claimed they had been cruelly harassed
by TV reporters in helicopters. They were
indeed victims, but not through anything
the media did.
He also employed physical intimidation,
shoving news representatives when they
tried to question him and then attempt-
ing to limit their interviews to a tightly
restricted area of city hall. The mere threat
of legal action by Fink put a stop to that.
There is often an adversarial relation-
ship between the press and government.
Some public officials are uncomfortable
with this and some resent it. There is
also a wide disaffection with much of the
media because of its perceived absorption
with celebrity gossip and trivia.
But this case is a strong reminder of
why freedom of the press is secured in
the bedrock of our democratic system
and why it was included in the First
Amendment to the Constitution. Without
this safeguard, the public is hostage to
anything those in power want it to believe.
Democracy becomes a shadow play and
lies can last forever.
It is also a reminder of how an investi-
gation scrupulously conducted by trained
reporters, editors and attorneys must elicit
a serious response. It carries a gravity and
accountability totally lacking in the unat-
tributed rumors and careless invective
that routinely sweep across the Internet.
We live in an age when the difference
between fact and opinion is slowly being
eroded, when emotions are regarded as
more significant than facts.
That is unfortunate for the cause of
honest journalism. Because at its best,
journalism reminds the powerful that they
must answer to the people, and that the
truth is the greatest weapon of all.
That is what we have seen here, and it is
something in which to take comfort.
Forever Chelm by Michael Gilbert
HOW CAN
CHARGE
TOURISTS?
THERE ARE
NO TOURISTS
SO WHAT, RABBI?
S OU WANT
WE SHOW-17
GIVE THINGS
AGOIA .?
THEY (,JILL
IF IT
INCLUDES
FREE
BORSCHT!
THIS IS
INSANE!
S OU
CAN'T
MAKE AN
MOI‘JE.
MAgBEHVS Il Hmmm,..
RIGHT
AT 17OUBI-E
WHAT IF
THE
WE OFFER
PRICE?
A TWO-FoR- COU1-12
ONE PEAL
GJORK
Reality Check
Cells And Monologues
A
traffic study revealed last month
that cell phone users drove sig-
nificantly slower than other driv-
ers. Now there's a stunner.
How many times have you been waiting
for a gap in traffic so you could enter a
main road from a side street or strip mall?
A dozen cars pass, and then here comes
Cell Man. He is lagging behind — just
close enough to the first group of cars but
not far enough ahead of the next group for
you to make the turn. And, invariably, he is
gabbing away on his cell.
I try not to harbor evil thoughts towards
anyone, aside from a few former editors.
But this does strain one's charity.
That's why regulations in some com-
munities to ticket cell phone users stopped
for other traffic violations are misguided.
The most common traffic stops are for
speeding or reckless driving. But those
aren't the standard cell driver misdeeds.
They are going more slowly than con-
ditions and speed limits warrant. Aside
from the freeways you don't get
ticketed for that. You also don't
get ticketed for driving other
motorists mad.
Several years ago, I came
across a longitudinal study —
meaning it was tracked across
many years — that found a
direct correlation between a per-
son's IQ and his driving record.
The lower the intelligence, the
more tickets and accidents.
Unfortunately, these seem to be the
same people who are most intent on driv-
ing while yakking. It does take a certain
amount of concentration to drive a motor
vehicle while waving your arms around in
a cellular gabfest, but this never seems to
deter them.
On one memorable occasion, I was
waiting for one of these cretins to pull out
of a parking place near the Kohl's store
at Orchard Lake and 14 Mile. She started
backing out, babbling away, and then got
so engrossed in the conversa-
tion that she stopped, half in
and half out of the space.
Not for a few seconds,
either. The grand delay was
lasting for well over a minute
— an eternity as parking lot
time is measured.
Finally, I honked. She
turned around with a look
of pure fury, as if to say, "You
dare toot at the Queen?" Still
glaring, she went right on with her talk ...
and pulled back into the space. Guess that
showed me.
Ah, but this is much too harsh for a
Valentine's Day column. I should include a
kinder, gentler note.
The National Council of Jewish Women,
Greater Detroit Section (NCJW/GDS), will
be participating in V-Day, a global move-
ment dedicated to raising awareness and
funds to stop violence against women and
girls. It has been granted the rights for a
benefit production of Eve Ensler's award
winning play The Vagina Monologues.
The production, which will include
several community leaders in the cast, will
take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19, at Temple
Shir Shalom, West Bloomfield.
Among more than 30 women sched-
uled to appear are Evelyn Orbach, Shirley
Benyas, Mary Lou Zieve, Henrietta
Hermelin, Lea Luger and Ellen Yashinsky
Chute.
All profits from the event will help
NCJW/GDS's community service projects
and programs that impact women, chil-
dren and families. Tickets are $75 for pri-
ority seating, $35 for general seating, and
$30 per ticket for groups of 15 or more. An
afterglow will follow the production. For
tickets and further information, call (248)
355-3300, ext. 0. ❑
George Cantor's e-mail address is
gcantor614@aol.com.
February 14 • 2008
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