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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > December > 28
Monday, December 28, 2009
Editorial: Laundromat gifts capture imaginations
Of all the Christmassy stories of the year, the ones that seemed to activate the most imaginations were those about people giving away money to random strangers.
In Dayton, people at a couple of laundromats found themselves with a hundred unexpected dollars when they opened an envelope handed out by a stranger. So did a fellow at a strip mall.
At least one woman at that shopping strip was reported to have lost a chance at free money when she didn’t respond to somebody who was following her with an envelope.
Maybe she was afraid. Maybe she didn’t want to get involved in somebody else’s problem.
Either way, how’s that for a Christmassy story?
The giveaways get one to thinking about whether this approach is really the best way to spread one’s wealth. After all, if you just pick random people, how do you know they really need it or will use it well?
Sure you can pick certain kinds of neighborhoods and stores as the sites for your generosity. But you’re still just guessing.
On the other hand, though, the gifts seemed to raise the spirits of a lot of people beyond the recipients.
The whole of idea of money falling from the sky — like Santa Claus — and of the Christmas spirit moving people to prodigal, unskeptical generosity, well, that combination just kind of gets us where we live.
Meanwhile, the giver is spared worry about whether the gift will really be what the recipient wanted. He or she can abandon the scene unconcerned about whether cash fits.
In recent years, Christmas gifts in the form of cash — or, at least, gift cards — have become more prevalent. The trade-off — between the romance of traditional gift-giving and the practicality — works for a lot of people.
When the givers and recipients are strangers, somehow some of the romance is back. The whole thing gets more interesting.
In the early days of television, there was a show called “The Millionaire,” in which an anonymous donor would give $1 million each week to a shocked recipient. The recipient wasn’t chosen randomly, but carefully, by the donor.
That was fiction. (Some people didn’t get that. This led the producers to make clear in each show that the donor was now dead, and these stories were about things that happened in the past. That way, nobody would write to the network asking for money.)
The popular show remained part of the American consciousness, the American vocabulary for decades after it disappeared. References to “The Millionaire” would come up in everyday conversation.
Meanwhile, of course, television has found all manner of ways to get viewers by giving money away, or allowing lucky people to compete for it.
Combine gifts, surprise, anonymity and Christmas — and make it all true — and you can get the attention of hordes, even if we’re back down to $100.
Up the ante a little, and surely there’s another TV show in the making, this time a “reality” show.
But when we get to that point — when people are giving away money to make money — the Christmas magic will be gone.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Martin Gottlieb
Editorial: Police should be slow to shock suspects
The Dec. 13 death of 39-year-old Douglas Boucher in Mason after a Taser shock brings home troubling questions about police use of these electrical devices.
Tasers, which have proliferated during the past decade, are used to stun suspects into submission with an electrical jolt. Proponents say they are effective, safe, not lethal and an important tool that protects everybody’s safety.
But some are challenging that view.
A major study last year by Amnesty International reported 334 people died after being shocked by the devices between 2001 and 2008. That human rights group recommended curtailing their use. Several police departments in Canada stopped using older-model Tasers following a series of deaths and a Canadian news organization’s report that its tests showed the devices sometimes emit more powerful shocks than they are designed to produce.
What happened to Mr. Boucher is unclear. The Warren County coroner has not determined the cause of death. Whether he was intoxicated or had underlying health issues is not known.
According to Mason interim police Chief Mike Kelly, the incident began when a convenience store clerk asked two officers to speak to Mr. Boucher, complaining that he had been lewdly asking her for sex.
As officers Daniel Fry and Sean McCormick spoke with Mr. Boucher, he became uncooperative. The officers began to handcuff him, although Chief Kelly said it is not clear if they were arresting him.
Officer Fry was struck in the head by Mr. Boucher’s handcuffed hand as he wrestled free. Chief Kelly said the officer suffered a concussion.
Mr. Boucher then charged toward the clerk, but was stopped by Officer McCormick, who shocked him with the Taser on a second try after failing once. Mr. Boucher stopped breathing and was dead when he was brought to the hospital.
Investigators have much to sort out. But Mr. Boucher’s case is similar enough to other sudden deaths after Taser incidents to ask whether it fits into a larger pattern of possible problems.
It’s easy to think of Tasers as a replacement for guns, but they really are more often used instead of batons to get suspects to comply with commands. Critics argue they are used too freely and should be reserved as a “last resort.”
Mason police have a sensible policy on Tasers. Officers are required to follow a progression of actions when dealing with an unruly suspect. They move, in order, from asking questions to issuing commands, using a baton, handcuffing, warning of a Taser shock, using the Taser and then using force.
Chief Kelly said he believes the officers in this case followed those rules. In the two years the rules have been in force, Mason police have used Tasers on just seven suspects.
Some researchers worry that Taser shocks may interfere with heart rhythm. The company that makes the devices disputes that, but in September it issued guidelines advising police to avoid shocking suspects in the chest.
That guidance is so new many officers haven’t heard about it yet. Investigators don’t yet know if Mr. Boucher’s death was heart-related or how close to the chest the Taser hit.
Though obviously they’re not as lethal as guns, Tasers are still weapons. Police departments should have a healthy fear of quickly turning to them.
Permalink | Comments (34) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Law Enforcement and Public Safety, Scott Elliott, Suburban Communities
