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Show Sun Advocate CopleT New Seoice , fiSuSSS. Getting away with murder Americans should be genuinely concerned because thousands of people in this country literally are getting away with murder. In 1980, fewer than one U.S. homicide in 10 went unsolved, according to FBI statistics. But by 1982 more than one murder in four was unsolved. The situation actually may be worse than this because a murder is considered solved with the arrest of a suspects suspect who is charged with the crime who often arent convicted. So the actual number of murders where the percould be closer to 40 percent. petrator escapes justice in the United States killers that It is estimated 5,000 last got away with murder year. There are other alarming trends in murders being committed in the nation. Justice Department officials say they are convinced that the number of serial kiilers those who are now on the rampage around the country has undergone a sharp increase. They believe there may be as many as 35 or more serial killers like Theodore R. Bundy and Henry Lee Lucas going from state to state committing murders because they know the law doesnt cope very well with killings. The number of murders committed during a rape, robbery or other felony also has skyrocketed in the last two decades. Even more disturbing is the sharp increase in murders in stranger cases, where the killer and victim either dont know each other, or multi-jurisdiction- AA Wednesday, March 7, 1904 fltfRE 'F ASKING , JE55E... KEV.JE26E.mS0N, THE CANMMIE.OF tmiTY RIGHTEOUSNESS, CAllEP NV W BRETHREN NAMES'? NOWAY! J al their relationship remains a mystery. Perhaps the most puzzling and frightening finding is the sharp increase in killings where police find a body but no motive. In 1966, there were 644 U.S. murders where no known motive was found. By 1982, that figure had risen to 4,118, or 20 percent. Professor Marc Riedel says the greater degree of randomness entering violent crimes implies a social order that is coming unglued, at least in inner cities. Professor Franklin E. Zimring, director of the Center for Studies of Criminal Justice at the University of California at Berkeley, says theres an implicit message of urban disintegration and terror which should be quite disquieting. Taken altogether, these findings indicate a climate in which murderers are finding it increasingly easy to get away with their beastly crimes because society still recoils at administering the death penalty. Even are those who commit the most vile, multiple-killing- s able to escape capital punishment by appealing their cases for years. Despite an occasional carrying out of a death sentence, the number of murderers in death rows around the country continues to grow as their appeals bounce around the court system. t) (Reprinted by permission of The St. Louis Globe-Democra- castle country OlblS0IPWli19 Newsmakers culprit of image monthly newsletter, which goes to By BRANDON FORD Staff writer About months ago Im told there was a meeting between some Price City officials and the leadership of the Carbon County A few Chamber of Commerce. The topic of discussion was the image of the community and the county with those outside Carbon County particularly those in the wide world who may be casting about for a suitable new location for a business or industrial development. There was concern expressed that the image was not good and that one of the culprits perpetuating that image was the news media. Price City had just had a series of painful problems with its police department. These problems had received statewide media attention and the fear was that this negative news coverage would have an adverse effect on the countys business .... climate. Trips, not junkets Congressmen once again are making news as a 225 or so members. A decision was made to survey the business community to see if it felt the same way. Staff members of the two organizations set to work developing a survey and the chamber sent it out in the chambers one-four- th of the membership returned the survey and the majority of those who responded said they felt media coverage of Carbon County was generally negative. (Understandable, considering the uproar in the police department.) Some even felt that negative media coverage had a negative effect on their businesses. Of the 25 percent who responded to the survey a few took the time to offer suggestions;. The suggestions included a desire for the news media to stress positive local stories and report them in depth. Im sure who ever made the suggestion was as tired of reading the negative stories about police corruption as I was of writing them. I would much rather have spent my time writing about the interesting characters I have found in this county like a mountain lion hunter or a Glen Spring garlic grower those are the stories that are fun to write. Indeed, those kinds of stories are the reason I am a writer. Doing investigative stories is hard, thankless work nobody likes a tattle tale. Unfortunately it is work that needs to be world-famo- us done. I have heard of cases where cancer victims have refused medical treatment in an attempt to keep their disease a secret because of what they saw as a stigma against those with cancer. These people were more interested in their image to others than their life. One of the important functions of a newspaper is to let the people it serves know the workings of those who have the public trust. Sometimes its not pretty and, in those cases, someone is almost always offended or hurt. But if a newspaper does not do those types of stories it isnt worthy of being called a newspaper. I also realize that the readership of the paper is served by stories that stress the positive and I hope I will have more time to devote to that. The suggestion is a good one and has not fallen on deaf ears. I would like as much as anyone to see the image of this county be such that it attracts new business and new families and encourages growth in existing business. The image of any community, however, depends more on those who make the news than those who report it. result of disclosures about their squandering of taxpayers money on overseas junkets. United Press International and the Better Government Association found that congressional foreign travel cost taxpayers at least $21.6 million in paul harvey fiscal 1983. Members of Congress should travel. But their travels should be trips to areas of the world where U.S. interests are at stake. Reps. Philip M. Crane and Tom Corcoran, both Illinois Republicans, set an exemplary example during a trip to El Salvador last year. Both congressmen traveled frugally and broke away from the party circuit to visit a remote region of El Salvador where battles are frequently fought between government and rebel forces. As a result of getting out into the field and talking to people with different viewpoints, Crane and Corcoran no-frill- s, fact-findi- ng actually learned something about El Salvadors current problems. Other congressmen visiting El Salvador at the same time as Crane and Corcoran predictably spent their time being entertained by people they already agreed with. It is no great secret that some congressmen travel only to be entertained or to give a facade of legitimacy to viewpoints they already hold. It would be nice if all congressmen traveled on occasion. But to learn, not to freeload. (Reprinted by permission of The Sacramento Union) Army plays games Waste seems to cover every area of government as morning dew blankets the grass. A recent case involves the U.S. Army, which spent $20,000 to prepare 30,000 multicolored pamphlets explaining how to play that old childhood game, King of the Hill. The booklet, with preface and four pages of detailed rules, says its purpose is to incorporate leadership, strategy-plannin- g skills into the and decision-makin- g fitness physical training program. Sen. William Proxmire, pointed out that kids have learned the rules for decades without military assistance or tax funds. What next, a pamphlet on jacks to teach development of manual skills or maybe one on to learn how to ferret out a hidden sniper? (Reprinted by permission of The Indianapolis Star) D-Wi- s., hide-and-se- ek A woman's 'place' Oklahomas With todays discriminatory pay scales, it was unlikely many wives could provide equal income. Incidentally, during the debate some lawmakers protested that it would contra diet Scripture. To which a proponent replied that those lawmakers demonstrated a lot of nerve quoting Scripture when everybody sees them out nights floozy-izin- g. That is a quote. The law is specific, men and women shall be paid equally for performing equal work. But theyre not. Further, of 400 occupational categories, women are employed, with rare exceptions, in only 20. Women, in effect, are into a limited segregated number of occupations which are low in status and low in pay. However gradually, women are beginning to bypass the entrenched I legislature debated equal rights for women and voted no. A bill specified that women should be equal partners in a marriage. It was defeated by a substantial margin when opponents demonstrated that it would make wives responsible for individual debts and would make wives equally responsible, for providing family income. male-oriente- d establishment. underground Women are now sole owners small businesses, quadruple the number five years ago. One woman went to work in an years ago. Of all coal miners hired last year 8.6 percent were of 2.8 million coal mine ten women. The president Congress promise and the legislation to eliminate discrimination. Yet, equal pay for equal work was legislated 20 years ago and the average man still takes home $388 a week, the average woman $251. 1984, Los Angeles Times Syndicate |