Innocence lost

In the midst of recent stories about people being arrested for sex crimes involving the internet and juveniles, comes this little piece out of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser:

Mother arrested for allegedly arranging sex
Police say underage girl was a gift for adult son

Jason Brown
jbrown@theadvertiser.com

Detectives arrested a mother, her son and her sister after the mother allegedly arranged for her son to have sex with a 14-year-old girl on his 18th birthday.

Maj. Roy Frusha, spokesman for the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office, said Michelle R. Arceneaux allegedly helped plan the sleepover as a birthday present to her son, Tyler.

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To get the girl to her home, Michelle Arceneaux posed as the mother of the victim's 15-year-old friend and fooled the girl's parents into letting the victim stay overnight at Arceneaux's Broussard-area home Feb. 2, Frusha said.

Once there, the girl was given beer and then had sex with Tyler Arceneaux three times, Frusha said.

Frusha said detectives believe the 14-year-old was a party to the plans.

"They were all in on it together to be able to go spend the night at that person's home," he said.

He said he is unsure when the incident initially was reported but believed the girl's parents came forward after learning of the incident.

Detectives arrested Michelle Arceneaux on three counts of principal to felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile; Tyler Arceneaux on three counts of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile; and Sonya M. Townsdin, Michelle's sister, for unlawful purchase of alcoholic beverages by persons on behalf of persons under 21 and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

Michelle Arceneaux is being held at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center. Tyler Arceneaux and Sonya Townsdin are free on bond, Frusha said.

If convicted, Michelle Arceneaux and Tyler Arceneaux could face up to 10 years in prison.

As disturbing as this story is to me, it doesn't compare to some of the online comments that were attached to it. Phrases like, "I'm sure it was consensual," or "That girl is a tramp," were used.

Consensual or not, the girl is still 14-years-old. However, that seems to be the state of our world these days. Our kids are no longer allowed to be children much past the age of 10 or 11. It also seems that parents are either oblivious to that reality, or even worse, a participant in it.

Each day that passes, troubles me even more to the kind of world in which our kids are growing.

Can we "reverse course" and get things back on the right track? I wish I knew the answer. History tells us that every great civilization erodes and eventually collapses. I pray that ours could break that cycle.

May The Blog Be With You.

Could be exciting

"When severe weather strikes. We are there."

How many times have you heard that from some television weather folks?

I love chasing storms. In fact, I have just come in to the office from one such excursion. I traveled throughout Bossier Parish this afternoon chasing reported severe storms and tornadoes (or at least the damage they left behind).

Fortunately for the people of Bossier, no damage so far. I can't help but be a little disappointed. Disasters tend to make a news reporter/photographer's heart race just a bit. Perhaps it is the idea of capturing some major event in print that brings an adrenaline rush.

I have this quest to photograph a funnel cloud on the ground. No luck today... but in Louisiana, you never know - the weather is always changing.

May The Blog Be With You.

In the mood to comment?

A recent study by the Bivings Group offered some keen insight to newpaper websites and what people expect from them.

One of the more interesting findings from the study:

Just as Web users have come to expect interactivity from blogs, they have also come to expect interactivity from news articles in general. Thus, it was surprising to find that only 19 of the nation’s top 100 most circulated newspapers allowed users to make comments directly on articles they read online. This function would be a useful tool for creating productive discussion around topical issues, as it would allow articles to inspire people to share their thoughts about an issue. Despite the value of this feature, the large majority of the nation’s newspapers have failed to make this service available to their readers.

The Washington Post struggled with this Web feature earlier this year. In January, 2006, the Washington Post had to turn off comments on its blog, Post.blog, after an article written by Deborah Howell spurred a massive commenting war on the Post’s website. According to Jim Brady, executive editor for the Washington Post, “The move [to turn off comments] came after several comments containing personal attacks, profanity and hate speech were posted on an item about Washington Post ombudsman Deborah Howell's recent column about the Abramoff scandal: Getting the Story on Jack Abramoff.” Brady continued in an entry he posted on the newspaper’s blog, “Transparency and reasoned debate are crucial parts of the Web culture, and it's a disappointment to us that we have not been able to maintain a civil conversation, especially about issues that people feel strongly (and differently) about. We're not giving up on the concept of having a healthy public dialogue with our readers, but this experience shows that we need to think more carefully about how we do it."21

This anecdote from the Washington Post provides a partial explanation for why newspapers may be reluctant to allow open commenting on articles. In this particular case, a controversial column caused profanity and personal attacks to be printed on the newspaper’s website. While the paper took responsibility for editing these comments, they became so overwhelming that the only solution was to turn commenting off all together. For many papers, it is understandable that they do not want to run the risk of having obscene of offensive material appear on their website, or have the inconvenience of monitoring thousands of reader comments for such unacceptable language and unproductive and offensive discussion. Losing control of paper content and the material appearing on a newspaper’s website is a factor discouraging papers from allowing full interactivity, and the experience of the Washington Post in January of 2006 provides an example of what can happen when irresponsible reader comments and opinions go unchecked.

This past week, we established commenting on articles on nwlanews.com. It is something we have been discussing for quite some time. We have been reluctant to do so for the very reasons cited in the study. Something as simple as a message board wreaked much havoc in Webster Parish several years ago.

Our solution was to make the commenting available to registered users only. We think totally anonymous comments are just "asking for trouble." However, we do want feedback, both on on the issues of the day and on the articles in general. Users real names will not appear on the comments, but their registered username will. Only the webmaster of nwlanews.com will know the identity of the user. Our registration process is simple, free and non-probing.

I hope folks will begin the dialogue about local news. I think that is healthy.

May The Blog Be With You

Higher taxes on the horizon?

Here at the Bossier Press-Tribune, we receive many press releases via fax, email and "snail mail." We tend to look each one through the eyeglass of "Is it in Bossier, and/or Does is affect Bossier?"

With our limited space in the newspaper, and so much going on in the local community, not everything we would like to publish in print makes it to the final copy of the newspaper.

Yesterday, I received the following press release from U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery's Office:

WASHINGTON – About 1.4 million Louisiana taxpayers need to brace themselves. The budget proposed by Democrats would raid their wallets.

The House Budget Committee today began consideration of the Democrats’ fiscal blueprint – a blueprint that includes the largest tax increase in United States history.

The smoke-and-mirrors budget proposed by the Democrats fails to extend key tax breaks. It also includes no meaningful entitlement reform, and it calls for spending some $24 billion more than the president’s request.

“They can call it whatever they want, but when more American’s pay more taxes, it’s a tax increase,” said U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery, ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

The passage of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 gave 1.4 million Louisiana taxpayers lower income tax bills and allowed 323,000 business taxpayers in the state to use their tax savings to invest in new equipment, hire additional workers and increase pay. More than 1.2 million Louisiana taxpayers benefited from the 10-percent bracket created and accelerated in those acts.

Also, 429,000 married couples and single parents in Louisiana benefit from the increase in the child tax credit under the acts.

The continuation of those tax breaks is noticeably omitted in the Democrats’ proposed budget.

“Democrats will argue that this budget does not guarantee that taxes will rise, but that argument is facetious at best,” said Ways and Means Ranking Member Jim McCrery. “Democrats do not deserve the benefit of the doubt – if they planned to extend the tax cuts, the budget would reflect it.”

The Democrat’s budget also ignores demographic reality and offers no reform of entitlements.
“The Democrats may need to retire their longstanding mascot, the donkey, in favor of an ostrich, because they are planting their heads firmly in the sand when it comes to the future of this country,” McCrery said. “Everyone knows that the Baby Boomers will soon begin retiring, and that our entitlement system needs reform, but they are offering no plan, no vision – not even suggestions. That is simply irresponsible.”

While this piece didn't make our edition when just went to press. I felt you needed to know what was happening in Washington. This affects Bossier, and every taxpaying citizens of the United States.

May The Blog Be With You

Chookin on the Barbie

Announcement: The Diet is Back on

After some prodding and reviewing of my waistline, I have jumped back on the better eating bandwagon. Of course, better eating almost always means - grilled chicken.

When on a diet, you eat grilled chicken, chicken that has been grilled, charbroiled chicken, baked chicken, boiled chicken, chicken soup, grilled chicken salad, chicken fajitas, chic... Geez, I sound like Bubba in Forrest Gump...

Lunch is my weak time when it comes to eating right. It is not that I eat a large meal, it just usually involves drive thru service of some type. This rarely lends itself to healthy eating. "Would you like to upsize that for just 39¢?"

Over the past few days, I have partaken (is that a word?) in several different chicken dishes. I am no culinary expert (I leave that to Robert St. John), but I do have some initial reactions to some of what I tasted... Here they are:

Saltgrass Steakhouse Grilled Chicken Breast: Excellent and quite filling too. Have a little Texas rice on the side and some unsweet tea (sorry, the sweet tea ended with the diet as well) and you are set.

Macaroni Grill Honey Balsamic Chicken: It was OK. I'm not "jumping out of my chair" as Simon Cowell would say. I would order it again.

Ruby Tuesday Hickory Chicken Burger: I made the mistake of ordering this to go. When I returned to the office, it was all over the place. Barbecue sauce, mayonnaise (yes I know how fattening that is - I'll leave it off next time) was all over everything. I ended up eating it with a fork. Taste was average.

Applebees Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad: This is one of my all-time favorites -- if the cook doesn't burn the chicken due to the lunch rush. "I didn't order this blackened."

Anyone else have any suggestions for new location for grilled chicken? I'd love to give them a try.

May the blog be with you.

Don't forget like I did

We discussed it Monday in our staff meeting.

I had downloaded patches from Apple and Microsoft because of it.

When today's Bossier Press-Tribune rolled out the door there was one glaring omission from its front page. We made no mention of the change to daylight saving time this weekend.

Twice a year we at least place a block on the front page about the time change. In many years of newspapering, I don't think I've ever forgotten to do that - until this week.

To add insult to injury, this is an important change because of how early we are making the switch. It deserved a news story. It at least deserved a mention.

I apologize to our readers for not informing them of this change. While I know they may hear it 100 times before Saturday night arrives. I feel we have somehow let them down.

If you are late to church Sunday, feel free to blame me. However, I will be there on time waiting for you to arrive.

May the Blog be with you.

The Darth Vader Chronicles

I am a Star Wars fan -- not in the "hang out in my Darth Vader costume waiting for the next Knights of the Old Republic to come out at Game Stop" realm of fans. I don't know Ewok as a second language. I don't have a "May the Force be with you" bumper sticker.

That being said, I have found myself with a certain connection to a "Tall Dark-helmeted" figure. I wish I could say that it was as cool a person as Darth Vader. But sadly my resemblance is more to his lesser-known brother/cousin, Chad Vader.

For those who do not know him, Chad Vader is a youtube.com favorite these days. Already to episode 6 in the saga, Chad is the former day shift manager at the Grocery Emporium, his own "Empire" if you will.

The language in Chad Vader is a little rough at times... nothing worse than you will hear in any sitcom these days, but I must caution anyone who wants to watch it.

It is probably one of the best parody/fan films I have seen to date and is destined to become a cult classic. Much like Napoleon Dynamite, the lines and phrases in Chad Vader will be heard on college campuses everywhere.

My strange connection to Chad comes in the form of two main similarities: 1) breathing issues, and 2) Management issues.

Bronchitis has struck again and I find myself needing the assistance of over-the-counter medications to keep me "free and clear." Perhaps a breathing device much like Vader's could come in handy.

As far as management issues, I think we all could learn some management techniques from Darth Vader. "

From The Empire Strikes Back:
[Darth Vader has just learned of Admiral Ozzel's big blunder, and activates a viewscreen]
Admiral Ozzel: [appearing onscreen with Captain Piett] Lord Vader, the fleet has moved out of lightspeed and we're preparing to...
[Ozzel stops, and suddenly begins to choke, clutching at his throat]
Darth Vader: You have failed me for the last time, Admiral. Captain Piett?
Captain Piett: Yes, my lord?
Darth Vader: Make ready to land our troops beyond their energy field, and deploy the fleet, so that nothing gets off the system.
[beside Piett, Admiral Ozzel utters one last strangled gasp, and falls over dead]
Darth Vader: You are in command now, Admiral Piett.
Admiral Piett: Thank you, Lord Vader.

Life would be so much easier wouldn't it?

Of course we cannot do such things in "real life." However, I think every manager has had a moment when the "Darth Vader Technique" crossed their mind.

As we go about our daily lives, let us all remember that there is a little Darth Vader in each of us... perhaps even a Chad Vader.

Now we must make this battlestation fully oper--- uh

May the Blog Be With You