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Dear Casper,

Jared Gendron’s article (Sept. 3) about the sex offender running for Laramie County Community College trustee is a perfect example of the “shiny object politics” that is the Wyoming Republican Party’s favorite game. They hold up a shiny object with one hand, point at it with the other, and shout, “Look! Look! Look at that!” thereby diverting public attention from the really important issues that Republicans are not even bothering to debate.

An article on the subject published in the Cowboy State Daily states: “Taft Love, chairman of the Laramie County Republican Party, said it’s simply about protecting children. ‘Children are our most precious asset,’ he said. ‘If we can’t protect them, we have failed as a society.'”

Let’s set aside the fact that “trustee” is an administrative position that probably doesn’t involve contact with students. Let’s set aside the fact that no “kids” attend community college. Let’s set aside the fact that the offender’s crimes occurred 22 years ago. Let’s set aside the fact that he has no chance of being elected to that office.

In the 22 years since the conviction, there have been about 1,000 shootings on school campuses in the United States, leaving over 300 dead and hundreds injured. Why aren’t we talking about protecting children from this?

The reason for this is the politics of shiny objects. I don’t need to list the shiny objects. You all know what they are. But do you know what really important, vital issues aren’t covered in the news? Probably not. And that’s on purpose.

Gina Douglas
Casper

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