btk kills the TV ratings

Trophy Deer Heads and the Wichita BTK Press Conference.

By Cody Barstow (fence rider for the Barstow Ranch)

Mojo City, February 26, 2005 - I got a TV feed in from Wichita and the pathetic press conference they held at 10:00 their time this Saturday. They've apparently apprehended the serial murderer known as the BTK killer.

If anyone ever complains about a picture of a hunter kneeling behind the dead head and antlers of the deer he's just killed, that person needs to review a tape of this conference and tell me there's any difference.

This was not a news event. This was nothing more than a herd of politicians and cops who needed to parade before the cameras and congratulate themselves because no one else would. Because the city had been so damned hard on thumping them for apparent incompetence in dealing with the case. They'd also been hugely accused of stonewalling the public in terms of the information they released ... keeping the public in the dark.

There, onstage, they kneeled behind the trophy-head of the BTK case, grinning and thinking fine thoughts of themselves.

And when it came to talking to the public of how they knew it was the guy or how they broke the case, they clammed up.

The case was ongoing. Can't say anything about anything. It's the same bullshit they gave that community for the past year.

Silence does not work. In fact, if you get past the relief-frenzy of the capture ... the citizens of Wichita have no real reason to believe they have the real killer until the cops and politicos tell the people why they think they have him.

There is room and reason for this kind of minimal, but critical information while "the case is ongoing." But if you judge them for what was said during the press conference, it would seem that the politicos and cops in that city have little understanding of the needs of the civilians out there. The people need to understand how it was resolved, so they can put things to rest. Understanding is a critical part of resolution.

The politicos and cops seek instead ... well, you might think they seek only to look proud and use this event as a political opportunity to advance their careers with extended face-time in front of the TV cameras like the state district attorney seems to have done.

But that would be critical in this moment of the city's apparent victory. Sorry. But is it victory? The official continuation of the policy of stonewalling the public ends up raising this very real problem ... there is no hard reason for anyone to really believe the cops have really gotten the right guy yet.

Outrageous? Not really. With the authorities stonewalling even the most basic information, the people in Wichita have no logical reason to think one way or the other. They have only their faith in the authorities. Authorities who refuse to talk to them.

[An under-the-breath comment from the state attorney general at the mike seems to have been that the public will never be allowed to know the full story. Not allowed? Like we're impressionable children, we will not be allowed to know things. More than a bit offensive, don't you think?]