P.T. Barnum once said, "There is a sucker born every minute." I think that number may be every few seconds when it comes to television reporters. Having lived most of my life in the Lincoln area, I spent a lot of time around the Capitol building in one capacity or the other. In that time, I have been witness to many protesters. On most of these occasions, the protests are just a staged media event. No matter the issue, it is usually the same group of people who show up with signs. They ignore the average person, and don’t show any passion for their cause until they see the television camera coming. The gullible news people show up, take their pictures, and get their quote for the evening news. As soon as the camera is off, and often before the reporter gets out of sight, the protest is suddenly over. The Monday before Thanksgiving, I stopped by the Capitol to talk to a couple people. In front of the governor’s mansion, there were 10 sign-holding protesters each representing some group that opposed the death penalty. I was in the building for no more than 15 minutes. They were gone when I came out. However, that night on the news, there was a big story about the "big" protest outside the governor's mansion. I am all for freedom of speech, assembly and the press. But, there is nothing in the constitution that requires the media to give coverage to whining malcontents that are staging an event just because they know the media is stupid enough to give them publicity. By wide margins, the majority of Nebraskans support the death penalty. However, the media continues to try to make the impression of widespread opposition by giving relevance to a few professional rabble-rousers who crave attention more than they have any principled belief they are supporting. Fortunately, after thirty-five years of politicians and judges falling prey to the cries of the rabble-rousers (magnified by stupid reporters), we elected a couple politicians with the courage to listen to the people and fight for justice. With the family and friends of Catherine Brooks, Patricia McGarry, Virginia Rowe and most citizens of Nebraska, I want to thank Governor Nelson and Don Stenberg for their work in seeing that justice was carried out yesterday in the execution of confessed murderer and rapist Robert Williams. With tough enforcement of the law, it is no surprise that crime rates are dropping in Nebraska as would-be criminals start seeing that there are consequences for their actions. Just think what might happen to the crime rate if the judicial system started believing that "justice delayed is justice denied." Mat McGarry was only three when he had his life spared by hiding under a bed for 8 hours while Williams raped and murdered his mother. He is now 23.
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