Who's really getting screwed by the sheriff? Just read the brilliant piece by Wyatt Olson on BSO ("The Naked Truth," March 16). For years now, I have studied Powertrac intensely, and this is about the best breakdown of information on what was happening and who was behind it that I have ever seen.
One of the points that was not brought out is the double impact that Powertrac has upon crime victims. Here is a simple example: You go out for the evening and return home to find that your front door is opened and the your TV and computer equipment are not in your home. You call BSO, and a uniformed officer shows up. He takes your report on the particulars, of when you left... when you came home, and then he hands you a "case card" with the case number on it. Then he leaves, telling you that a detective will call you within the next few days.
Now you sit back in your living room and ask yourself, why they didn't take any fingerprints of the front door, the door handle, the table top the computer was on, the cabinet that the TV was in, etc? The reason is simple. Your home break-in was reclassified (downgraded) as a "mysterious incident" or a criminal trespass. Neither is a felony crime. That would screw up the Powertrac statistics!
Your home burglary has now been effectively swept under the carpet. No one will investigate any further, no crime scene people will come to process evidence, nothing further will be done because it is now a misdemeanor, which requires no further action. You not only get violated in your home by the crime but now BSO is going to further violate you by telling you that their crime stats are far more important to them than your belongings are. This is how Powertrac works! For every lowered crime classification, one more criminal gets a pass. Criminals know exactly which crimes will be ignored and reclassified by BSO. This makes Broward County the "vacation spot" for criminals.
Jenne may be a little troll of a human being, devoid of any sort of character or ethics, sparked only by his need to look like a god to everyone around him, but he is brilliant! Make no mistake that Jenne has one of the best legal and criminal minds in Florida. Did I say criminal mind? Yes, sir! Nothing at BSO happened without his knowledge or OK.
J.M. Evans
Candidate for Sheriff
Fort Lauderdale
God's Hands
Nice try, but your test subjects are already indoctrinated: In response to the article "The God Fossil" (Julia Reischel, March 9), I mean no disrespect to FAU Professor David Bjorklund and Jesse Bering for trying to reopen a can of worms held shut by the powers that be. The article's amazing graphics gave me hope, but it also disappointed me. Such an important subject needs to be dealt with more seriously.
Sadly, the experiment's choice of subjects and the conclusions have little credibility. The test subjects are children brought up in our Western world, indoctrinated from birth by their parents to believe in a god and an afterlife. At a young age, kids believe everything they are taught unquestioningly, as they do not have the tools to question yet. The older kids, naturally, become more skeptical once they start to interact with their peers and teachers at school, learning different points of view, science included, so the outcome of the experiments are obviously dubious proof of anything.
Is this article going to make a difference? I hope so, for all our sakes, because of the state the world is in as a result of this irresponsible belief system. Getting people to think and change is our only hope for the future. So keep on trying, and good luck.
Denis Moore
Fort Lauderdale
You're so negative: In regard to your piece-of-trash article, let me say to Mr. Bering: Stop trying to prove your juvenile theory about the evolution of God. Using his own words on page 18: "My meaning in life is to illustrate that there really is no meaning."
If this is so, then stop trying to prove your theory. I mean, what's the point? It doesn't really mean anything. In fact, why not put a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger? Who cares? Doesn't mean anything, right?
Kevin Little
Hollywood
You're so boring: You made your article so boring and long by indulging in a storytelling style instead of just passing on the focal information. In fact, you told us so little about what the theories of these professors are, because you spend so much space narrating stories and describing personalities. This is an interesting field of study, but I got so little about the subject.
Humberto Casanova
Nashville, Tennessee
You're so brilliant: I don't think I've ever in my life been prompted to write a fan latter to a journalist before, but I just have to congratulate you on your article "The God Fossil." It strikes me as the very model of what a piece of science journalism should be — informative and coherent, while at the same time not neglecting the human part of the story. In addition, I admire the way you neglect the usual lazy journalistic pussyfooting around important issues such as that science in the United States is currently under attack by ignorance. It's a truly excellent piece of work, and you have my warmest admiration for it.
Paul Barnett
Hewitt, New Jersey
Non-Raves
It's about the music, stupid: After reading "The Rave's Back, Baby" (Deirdra Funcheon, March 2), I felt that the rave scene was entirely misrepresented.
Euphoria Project throws parties with scores of local DJs, and flocks of people, young and old, swarm to major events to hear popular names spin, such as Rabbit and Mad Hatter. People go to the club to hear the music and cherish the unity it brings. This article focused too much on drugs and not enough on music, which is why everyone is in this scene to begin with. I do not use the term everyone loosely.
I speak for every single person at any rave when I say that if we just wanted to use drugs and didn't care for electronic music, we would be somewhere else. There is plenty of drug use at hip-hop clubs, rock shows, and other alternative nightclubs. However, we are an easy target for the media because we are young newcomers rejuvenating a lost scene.
Olga Liberman
North Miami Beach
Can't you see I'm naturally high? It's true some wayward actions take place; however, it isn't fair to pin those actions on the whole rave scene because some teens are making bad decisions. Focusing on the minority but representing it as the entirety doesn't seem too honest to me. How can someone claim to be a reporter but "report" a fabricated horror story? Do you believe in true reporting?
The crowd at X-it is diverse, and I've had the honor of being included in that miscellany. I've been to rock concerts, pop concerts, metal shows, hip-hop clubs, etc., and I can honestly say I've had the best experiences at Club X-it and Ultra Music Festival. Contrary to your perception of X-it being a drug hub, I have not once been there under the influence of anything but my own natural high, enhanced by the joyous ambiance of the people and the music.
Lauren Travieso
Orlando
These raves make you a better person, dude: I think you are capturing the wrong side of this so-called "rave" scene. I understand why you would look at it from the drug perspective, but what about the people who enjoy this type of scene simply for the music and don't even do drugs? I am 25 years of age and have been listening to this music since I was 10. The people I have met in my lifetime who produce this type of music are just like anyone in the music world, full of heart and love for what they do.
This music has changed my life and has made me a better person, and I have never been involved any drug use or pacifier-sucking or glow sticks.
Name withheld by request
Andover, Minnesota
