Dog daze
It’s curious, the amount of information and coverage we’ve seen seeing over the past week about that dog that was shot by an Erie cop, as opposed to the woman who says she was sexually assaulted by several men in a white sedan on The Hill on May 11.
You might wonder if this is misplaced police resources or a product of how much we love our dogs in Boulder County, but it’s probably more a question of available information. Boulder police have been pretty tight-lipped about the sexual assault, saying that the only identifying information on the suspects is that they are males. That really narrows it down.
The alleged gang rape occurred in the 900 block of University Avenue between midnight and 1 a.m. A police spokesperson told us this week that investigators want to talk to the woman again, but she has been unavailable.
Meanwhile, we’ve been getting all sorts of information on the dog-killing cop, from a past canine shooting incident to the fact that none other than the district attorney is going to look into the incident. And, of course, the grieving dog owner is eager to speak out about what she naturally sees as a travesty.
It’s the nature of the journalism business. We pretty much just write down what people say and share it with thousands of you, and if people aren’t talking, there isn’t much we can do, aside from digging through documents. And in sexual assaults, the alleged victim is usually given space, in addition to anonymity, in part so that the media coverage doesn’t have a chilling effect on the reporting of such incidents. (If you thought your name might end up in the paper, you might be hesitant to report that you were raped.)
So if you’re wondering why you’ve heard more about a dead dog than a woman who may have been gang-raped, just know that it’s more a case of limited information than misplaced priorities.
Schwarzencheater
So Arnold “the Sperminator” Schwarzenegger not only cheated on his wife Maria Shriver, but fathered a child with a member of his household staff more than 10 years ago?
Now that’s a suspenseful ending. We just can’t help but wonder how many other adulterous elected officials and movie stars are out there, quietly sweating. Surely some are better at keeping a secret than keeping their dick in their pants. But when you’re in the spotlight, it’s only a question of time before people start talking.
In addition to feeling bad for Maria and his legitimate kids, we feel for the lovechild, who now has to live with being the product of this union. His dad isn’t who he thought he was. Instead, he’s Conan, Mr. Universe, the governator. Arnold was going commando and generating some red heat with his mom. And then he totally failed to have recall for a decade. It was true, the lies. Maria got a raw deal from this predator. OK, we’ll stop.
Fat fine
It’s no secret that obesity has been associated with a host of medical problems. So now the state of Arizona is considering charging fat people on Medicaid $50 a year. It’s kind of like increasing taxes on cigarettes, but different.
People who have children or who are overweight due to a medical condition would be exempted, but still. This is beginning to be a slippery slope.
And we are reminded of one of the messages in the film Food Inc. — that some of the cheapest, mass-produced foods are also some of the worst for you healthwise. Poor people can’t afford the organic department at the supermarket and opt instead for a burger off the Dollar Menu. So this Arizona plan could hit the pocketbooks of those who need that pinch the least.
The obesity problem is not going to be solved by a $50 fine, but by things like educating our kids about healthy eating, organized efforts to stop patronizing the likes of McDonald’s and rewarding healthy people with lower insurance rates.
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
