Clarification
Yesterday, I posted about Arthur Teele and the incident in the lobby of The Miami Herald. But I think my post was misunderstood. This could be due to the way I wrote it. Anyway, here is part 2.
I do not think that it is good that Teele killed himself. I think that the action was tragic, and a terrible blow to his family and close friends. It was the final act of desperation from a man who was cornered, and did not know what to do. Nobody really deserves to be driven to suicide just because they are crooked.
But I will not retract from my main point, that it is NOT the fault of the media. The local papers were doing their job, reporting on news. And a County Commissioner that gets pulled over and police dashboard cameras record him making threats to an officer is news. And so is a local politician found with not only his hand in the cookie jar, but his entire body in the cookie jar. Only his feet were sticking out.
The New Times, a free paper that allows its writers to really dig deep into a story, was going to publish a feature about the man's personal life. This is what drove him over the edge. But if you choose a high profile public job - that is going to happen. The rules change for you. You are hired by the general public, therefore the general public will want to know about stuff. Kind of like the way your boss can find out the chemical content of your pee-pee on demand.
But IF Teele was honest, or mostly honest, none of this would have happened. Any false charges made against him could have been turned into incredible political power by the man. He could have challenged the "evidence", and watched it all crumble like dust before him. Once that happened, he would have been an unstoppable force in Dade County - the ONLY honest politician in the entire state. But, this is not the case.
I am a public employee. I am in the public school system certified by Florida to teach. I am going to be working for Dade County starting next week. It is very clear to me what this means. My personal life IS an issue. If I get arrested, for any reason, I must report it to the school board AND now Dade County within 48 hours. No matter what the arrest is for, or even if I am guilty or not I must report it. If I get a "Promise To Appear" notice for a misdemeanor, I have to report that as well. While my case is being sorted out, I can be suspended without pay. This is what it means to have a position of public trust. If I am to be trusted with other people's children, or with access to secure areas of a major airport, I have to be held to this level of scrutiny. If I do not like it - well I am in the wrong field.
Elected officals should expect the same and more. Their position is of a very high trust level.
So, I feel very bad for Teele's family. I really do. But I can not blame the newspaper. I can not blame reporters. I can not blame the police, or anyone else involved with the investigation.
And the worst part is that Teele did a lot of good things. He stood up to devlopers that wanted to loot inner city areas, displacing the poor. He made the County address the needs of many people who were otherwise overlooked. He was a supporter of not paving over history to make a new parking lot. But, as it turned out - this is not what he will be remembered for. And it was all his doing.
posted by The Lazy Iguana @ 00:04
5 Comments:
I'm always shocked when something like this happens, and various factions try to blame everyone but the person himself. Somehow, he becomes a "victim."
Lost in the whole story is your main point - Teele was 100% responsible for his actions, including his suicide.
No one else. Period.
Well said. Thank you for the clarification. I do agree.
Thank you for the clarification. But I did not think you were saying that you were happy Teele killed himself at all.
Being completely a word person, I know how important each and every one can be. If only I spelled correctly, I would be in business!!
I certainly never thought that you were saying that you were glad that Teele died. I thought that you were saying that you thought that protesting his death was inappropriate. I totally agree. There was nothing to PROTEST. The press didn't shoot him. The investigators didn't shoot him. No one framed him.
Teele was responsible for both his life and his death. In my humble opinion, however, he did not kill himself BECAUSE of what he did, nor because of the prospect of jail, nor because of anything said or done by the press and media.
No one who ever died of suicide had anything happen to them, that hasn't happened to thousands of other people, who did NOT choose suicide.
Teele's life was ruined. He was going to jail. The jails are full. People have ruined lives, and people are in jail. These people don't choose suicide. People who die by suicide have something inside themselves that makes them take that path.
A person who dies by suicide is depressed. If that person is a public figure, then, yes of course it will be news. This man apparently was a jerk. How he died has nothing to do with it.
A Cowards Death.
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