Editor’s Message

Abraham Lincoln said, "If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time or die by suicide." He said that in 1838 warning that mobs or people who disrespected U.S. laws and courts could destroy the United States.

And here we are – criminals being made into heroes and martyrs and law enforcement being attacked daily and judges being threatened.

Too many criminals are set up to be heroes. They should not be thought of as role models, but as examples of what happens when you live a life filled with crime. Why honor a career criminal with street name?

Meanwhile, law enforcement officers can be killed in the line of the duty, citizens stopping crime disparaged.

The biased mainstream news media is failing at its job to report facts. Instead of reporting facts, they are reporting half-truths, and politically partisan opinions.

The backstory about criminals being presented is often incorrect and slanted to fulfill an agenda. Activists and antilaw enforcement turn it into a sigil, a banner with a symbol that has magical powers to replace the unpopular truth with the popular lie.

The national media has written millions of words about how criminals are the latest victim of “police brutality,” a poor innocent men singled out because of some excuse. Few even bother with a criminal past because the wave of emotion that fuels violent protests helps boost once sagging audience ratings and advertising sales.

The expression driving the national media business is “Violence sells newspapers.” The other expression is whomever gets to the microphone first dominates the media discussion.

It’s amazing how far some will twist justice, justify violence and minimize other people’s suffering when it benefits their politically charged extremism.

This twisted anti-logic is fueling violence across the country and anti-law enforcement sentiment. Screaming at and blaming law enforcement for doing their job is far easier than challenging the criminal backgrounds and presenting the facts.

This day, there are two civilian heroes who should be posturized and plastered all over the place, but the media isn’t too happy about pushing it.

Elisjsha Dicken, 22 intervened when a man began shooting into a food court at Greenwood Park Mall in Indiana. Within 15 seconds from when the shooting began, armed bystander Dicken fired on the shooter from 40 yards away, according to police. The gunman had fired 24 rounds of ammunition, before Dicken drew his pistol out and shot him dead.

Nicholas Bostic, 25, happened to be driving his car passed a two-story house engulfed in flames in Lafayette, a suburb outside of Indianapolis. He sprang into action and saved five children, ages 1 to 18, from the burning home within 15 minutes. The last child, a 6-year-old, he had to jump out of a second-floor window, suffering several injuries that he said were “all worth it.” Bostic was treated for smoke inhalation in addition to his arm injury and other wounds, after being airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital.

A thought about all the heroes out there - bravery isn’t a lack of fear. It’s being afraid and doing what is right anyway.

There are real heroes in our midst – law enforcement, first responders and, and yes, citizens from every walk of life. Honor and respect them. We must get back to high praise of acts of heroism and class. Inspire the good ones – it’s still worth the fight back.