Fred Hicks wears a Confederate cap.

Jackson County, Alabama is attempting to pass a 'junk law' that would get rid of 'illegal junkyards, abandoned vehicles, uninhabitable mobile homes' and other unsightly items (read article here). One has to wonder why a new law is needed to enforce something that's already illegal...

The Huntsville Times has been covering this issue and David Prather recently wrote for the editorial board that 'some people will view all of this as government intrusion upon a sacred right. It's not.'

I am proud to be one of those 'some people.' I believe that I have a right to what is mine and can do with it as I please as long as it does not violate your rights. Private property IS the most sacred of rights.

Prather continues: 'It's an acknowledgment that we live in a civilized society in which we don't harm the property of others by lowering property values and allowing unsanitary conditions.'

Yes, living next door to a trash heap will probably lower your property values. But that's not property being harmed! No one gets their roof replaced or their walls repainted because their next door neighbor doesn't cut their grass or has a car that doesn't run parked in the front yard.

'Well shoot. Ted's '83 Mustang hasn't been running for three weeks now. And now our roof is leaking. It can't be a coincidence!'

Do we have a right to higher property values? Do we get to decide how our neighbors live, look and maintain what is THEIRS? Of course not! If you can justify a law that allows government to dictate how we maintain our property by using the 'property value' argument, then there is no limit on how many laws government can pass continuing to do so. It's not a slippery slope. It's a free-fall.

The real kicker in all this is the elitist, 'I know what's best,' holier-than-thou attitude. If you aren't FOR a law like this, you must be uncivilized! After all, 'in a civilized society, we don't harm the property of others,' etc. Anyone who thinks otherwise? Not civilized.

It's an editorial. That's Prather's personal opinion. So no harm, no foul... as long as it doesn't seep into their news coverage.

And in my opinion, it does. If you read the previously linked to article, you read about a man opposed to the passing of this proposed junk law. His name is Fred Hicks and he thinks we have enough laws.

But The Times made an effort to really identify Fred Hicks. Although you can't see him in a newspaper article, be rest assured that he's wearing a Confederate cap.

Anyone wearing a Confederate cap in 2007 must be a backwoods hillbilly, believing the South is going to rise again! Oh, they must also be uncivilzed!

I wonder if The Times would have felt compelled to bring up Mr. Hicks' cap had it been a Nike one instead.

Defining 'Help'

Before coming to work at WHNT (for the 3rd time), I worked at another station in Huntsville. My job title there was 'Assignment Manager/Editor.' I was responsible for sending news crews out on stories, knowing what and where the stories were and fielding calls from viewers who gave us stories. I was on the phone A LOT.

When a viewer would call us with an idea for a story, it was my job to make sure that it was actually a legitimate story. For example, people would call complaining that the car they just bought from a used car auto lot was a lemon (not a story), or that the jail conditions were filthy (ya think?!). TV stations get at least 10 of those 'stories' a week, sometimes more. Those are fairly easy to dismiss (although not always).

Sometimes when a viewer called and explained their situation, it would sound like a good, legitimate story that we could cover. But that was only scratching the surface. Sounding good doesn't mean it was a story. I had to ask the caller questions that were at times invasive and personal and would put them on the hot seat.


One morning I got a call from a lady saying that her daughter's landlord flat-out REFUSED to fix the bathtub in her apartment. It was backed up and very dirty.

Sounded good so far. 'Slumlord refuses to fix bathtub!' Could make for a good headline, huh? But I had lots of questions to ask first to determine if this story was worth sending a crew out to cover.

For example, why was SHE the one calling us and not her daughter? If her daughter, a grown woman, was that desperate, why didn't she call seeing if her story could be covered? That alone isn't a deal-breaker to say we won't cover the story. But it does raise some flags.

My next line of questions were about her daughter and where she lived, what she did, etc. She lived in some sort of public assisted housing (I think). Her rent: $50 a month. That's 1.66 a day.

The kicker: She was about 2 months behind on her rent and would probably soon be facing eviction.

Now imagine you're a landlord and you have someone who is 2 months behind on rent. What would you do? Would you spend your own money to fix a bathtub for a tenant who isn't paying you?

Me neither.

If I recall, the daughter wasn't working either. I knew for an absolute fact we weren't going to cover this story, so I laid it out there for this lady:

'Ma'am.... your daughter is a bum.'

She didn't get angry. She didn't curse me or yell at me. She just listened.

'Your daughter is a bum. She doesn't work. She's TWO months behind on rent... and you're trying to fix her problems for her. You're enabling her to continue living like this.'

After a brief moment of silence, she finallysaid two words: 'You're right.'

It may have seemed harsh, but I told this woman what she NEEDED to hear. Her heart was in the right place and she was trying to get her daughter some help. But before someone gets helped, you have to first define what 'help' really is.

Is help solving someone's problems for them? Will that really fix things? Or is help hitting rock-bottom and changing your lifestyle on your own?

The woman thanked me for what I said. About two weeks later she called me for another story idea.

I don't know what ever happened with this lady or her daughter, but I hope they are both doing well.