Thumbs up/Thumbs Down
A few stories have remained on my mind for the past few days, so time once again to do a "Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down" blog entry.
UP: Piggeé pleads guilty to arson in Roseville Galleria blaze
This week, a disturbed young man faced federal arson charges for lighting a fire that eventually caused more than 50 million dollars in damages to the Roseville Galleria mall. CBS13 interviewed Alexander Piggeé after the debacle, and he admitted on camera he did it. He sounded clear-headed and many called for him to be locked away for life. In court though, he plead not guilty. That is until this week, when Piggeé changed his plea in a deal that surprised many. It's not a done deal yet, and Piggeé's not due to be sentenced until May. However, prosecutors say they've taken into account his mental state and are recommending the minimum sentence of 10 years. It seems to be a resolution that would satisfy many. My support for this, though, hinges on this: when he's safe behind bars that he finally gets the long-term mental health help he needs.
DOWN: NPR Fundraising Controversy
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a frequent NPR listener. I like to get my news from a variety of sources (locally, nationally and internationally) from a spectrum of viewpoints. However, it was a huge disappointment to learn about the secret video in which NPR fundraisers made politically biased statements to fake "investors". CEO Vivian Schiller resigned after news broke about the controversial comments. But that's not enough to quell concerns about NPR being left-leaning. After this, it seems only logical that federal funding should be at least questioned. Media that is government-funded (even if only partially) has an obligation to be non-partisan. I have to add, from a journalist's perspective, the added shame: many quality, unbiased journalists caught up in this controversy will pay the price for what is now under investigation as an organizational failure.
DOWN: Facebook Burn Pages
I learned this week what "burn page" is: a Facebook page set up only to hurl insults at people. One popped up locally - targeting students at Liberty Ranch School in Galt. By name, the creator described individuals as being ugly, even having sexually transmitted diseases, among other painful accusations. An even more bitter pill to swallow? It's not illegal - because no threats were made. Facebook's since shut down the site, I'm happy to report. The company adds they're investigating how they can streamline the process of removing offensive pages like these. So there's some action being taken. It's a start...but sadly too late for so many who have already been hurt by unnecessary and unwarranted words of hate.
UP: One Man Mission in Modesto
CBS13 met a man on a mission this week in Modesto! Jeff Pishney's behind the push, making 160 signs, a multitude of t-shirts, a website and even a day to 'share the love' of Modesto, April 2nd! The idea behind LoveModesto.com is simple: Pishney's sick and tired of the city's negative image, spread by people he says are swayed by negative surveys and cannot see the good. It reminds me of a man from Stockton who created an online video after he got fed up with similar slams against Stockton.
The Love Modesto movement is cleaning up graffiti and actively recruiting for help with other projects. already one thousand people have signed up to participate. The deadline to sign up in March 27th.
