The era of shrinking markets, circulation and advertising revenue marches on for domestic newspapers as Americas turn away from the old media and to the Internet and other media outlets for their news and information.
In recent days, Gateway Media has announced they are closing three Illinois newspapers, as reported at the 309:Â Central Illinois Information, News & Talk.
The Daily American in West Frankfort, the Murphysboro American, and the Money Stretcher, a weekly free shopper distributed in several Southern Illinois communities will publish their final issues in early May 2015.
Is Gateway Media’s Pontiac Daily Leader heading towards the same fate? It certainly wasn’t made popular with the community following the vicious attack story published Saturday, disparaging almost ninety local businessmen, professionals, and honorable residents for nothing more than meeting to promote and defend the ideals voiced by our nation’s Founding Fathers.
The story, written by Paul Westermeyer, started off by suggesting it was a meeting of alcoholics handling guns while intoxicated. Westermeyer might be particularly sensitive to someone drinking in a social setting. He might also be very well-versed in roadside field sobriety tests.
It’s been reported that he’s got a DUI conviction in his past and a second DUI case pending. In Illinois, a second DUI can be a felony. If convicted of a felony, that would preclude Mr. Westermeyer from even touching a firearm for the rest of his life, much less owning or shooting one, under penalty of years in pound-him-in-the-backside prison.
At 5’7″ and 132 pounds, he better make sure he has a good source for soap on a rope if that ever happens.
He also lamented of the ilk of people present – and by extension, like-minded local residents who support those evil “tea bagger” values like respecting the Constitution, shrinking the size of government, all the while fantasizing of being judge, jury, executioner AND secret agent with a gun.
Nothing like insulting the majority of residents in your town of 11,688.
The town you depend upon for subscriptions and advertising revenue.
Perhaps Paul Westermeyer fantasizes of moving out of his mom’s basement someday and getting job more fitting to his superlative intellect than working part time selling Bimbo bread (of all brands) and as a scribe for a small-town newspaper covering stories like leaky liners at the municipal swimming pool and and waste recycling events.
Paul Westermeyer is destined for greatness in investigating blockbuster news stories like exposing Ted Cruz’s secret passion for Haitian teen boy homosexuals, Marco Rubio’s hatred of white people and outing George W. Bush’s bribes to the Supreme Court to rule in his favor when Al Gore really won the 2000 presidential election. Yes, he craves to be have the next Deep Throat source – or something like that.
In his mind, anyway.
He’ll be lucky if he’s still driving a year from now. Legally anyhow.
We’d all do well to avoid him if we see him behind the wheel.
Or call 9-1-1 if we notice him driving in a manner which would suggest impairment.
From Mothers Against Drink Drivers, here are some helpful hints to identify potentially drunk drivers:
While we work hard to turn cars into the cure and eliminate drunk driving forever, families must continue to be vigilant on our roadways. You can help protect your family from drunk drivers by looking for these signs of intoxication among other motorists:
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Quick acceleration or deceleration
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Tailgating
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Weaving or zig-zagging across the road
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Driving anywhere other than on a road designated for vehicles
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Almost striking an object, curb, or vehicle
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Stopping without cause or erratic braking
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Drifting in and out of traffic lanes
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Signaling that is inconsistent with driving actions
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Slow response to traffic signals (e.g. sudden stop or delayed start)
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Straddling the center lane marker
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Driving with headlights off at night
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Swerving
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Driving slower than 10 mph below the speed limit
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Turning abruptly or illegally
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Driving into opposing traffic on the wrong side of the road
If you notice two or three or more of these in another vehicle, you know what that means. Call 911 before they kill someone you love.
UPDATE:
Check out the plea on this case:
Well, the fact that our little reporter has all the signs of a substance abuse problem sheds a little more light on the story.
It all makes a little more sense now. If he had a six-pack in him for a little liquid courage before he started writing, that makes a lot more sense.
I don’t know where you found those pictures, but they are priceless. And whoever found out his criminal history, you are awesome.
Any communication from that paper yet? I’d think they should be ready to cry “UNCLE!”. This isn’t getting them any warm kudos from the community.
Did you mean to say he craves to BE the next Deep Throat, maybe while in prison?
He was invited to this event. He exercised his right to free speech. And you write this. Shame on you.
LOL. Oh Deborah.
Goose. Gander.
I think he’s exercising his artistic flair having a little fun with GSL’s antagonist.
I for one welcome it.
Paul is a bully, plain and simple.
He thought he could write disparaging things about people he didn’t know without any sort of repercussion other than being held up as a hero to the far left at places like Democratic Underground and similar leftist destinations.
He ran up against a group of people who don’t cotton to getting bullied AND had the means with which to “push back twice as hard”.
I don’t really have a dog in the fight when it comes to the Pontiac paper as I live an hour away. However, continued articles like Paul’s will put that paper on the verge of insolvency in short order, I have no doubt.
And if the management of that place thinks like Paul, then I have no doubt they will be dead and gone sooner rather than later.
I think I’ll post this at the other entry as well.
Deb,
…my advise to you: don’t get in a “war of words” with someone on a blog especially when you are soooooo wrong and uninformed, Paul should be repremanded for impersonating a “journalist” while “writing” an article on a subject he is so uninformed and biased on the subject. He needs to go (back?) through grade school english composition classes before continuing his “writing career”!
I don’t want to get into a big discussion about this with you. We certainly disagree. But I will say if I were your mother I would be ashamed that you would stoop to personal attacks like this.
Sounds as if Deb is Paul’s mommy, or maybe she wants to be his surrogate mommy, trying to “defend” his actions by accusing others of Paul’s pecularities, project much, Deb? or maybe Deb is Paul’s “alter ego”, hmmmm?
Deb:
We are an honorable lot here.
At the same time, we will not fight with one hand tied behind our backs, either on a dark street corner when attacked by a violent criminal predator, or in the field of public opinion rhetorically when attacked by a reporter/publication for no good reason.
If we wanted to be nasty, we would roll out all sorts of data mining on young Paul. The poor guy wouldn’t know which way to go, aside from a 12-pack of his favorite swill.
We do good things at GSL meetings, but are tarred as drunk, wannabe vigilante secret agents by a reporter who has a problem with alcohol it seems. We’re going to give a little pushback at that.
Frankly, as one commenter has noted, his article reads as if he wrote it while drunk!
This was NOT honorable, sir.
Deborah –
Did you read Mr. Westermeyer’s article? Can you point out for me those portions you thought were fair representations of the GSL meeting he attended for a short while?
Had Mr. Westermeyer penned a fair article, you’d not see him being taken to task here.
The reporter was NOT honorable. He basically called a meeting of almost 90 people nothing but racists and drunks. How is that even remotely “honorable?” He didn’t stay for the whole meeting. How can he “honor” his title as reporter when he didn’t even get some of the facts correct. Yes, yes, this was an “opinion piece” but there was never any honor intended on Mr. Westermeyer’s side. Many in the room that night have fought for his freedom of speech that allows his to write such drivel. Again, how is his portrayal of those present “honorable?”
1) Folks, resist the concern troll. No reason to break ranks. Shame on us and not the pajama boy who wrote the vile hit piece? Not so much.
2) John, remind me to NEVER piss you off!
Deborah, you’ve made a fundamental error in judgment.
You’ve assumed that the men on this site are REASONABLE men.
They are not. They are perhaps not as bad as lil pauly portrayed them, but they are angry, closed-minded and MEAN-spirited.
You also cannot “debate” them on this site, cause JB will censor you in anything he doesn’t like.
Best to quit while you’re ahead.
I concur with you, by the way.
Paul wrote an asinine story, and these guys are acting like petulant online gamers.
Watch you, or they’ll SWAT you.
Ken,
…you ccuse others of not being REASONABLE, and “MEAN SPIRITED”, yet you call for the murder of law enforcement personell, YOU are the MEAN SPIRITED and UNREASONABLE one, …project much, ken?
If standing firm on one’s beliefs is not reasonable, count me in a$$wipe.
For the sarcastically challenged: if this is our usual “ken”, then your sarcasm meter should be pegged.
😉
We’re just about the dead set opposite of everything he wrote, but if you didn’t spend much time here, you wouldn’t know that…
For example, the only thing I’ve censored are the occasional pejorative (and in almost 14,000 comments, there’s always going to be once in a blue moon) the also occasional unduly harsh language (f-bombs and the like), and stuff that might get the writer sued.
Aside from ken’s undying love of police (sarcasm there), he’s an okay guy (reality there). Most days.
John
wow. Really low, John.
i read the article, thought it was trash, enjoyed your rebuttal, and moved on. as you should have .
i have an hk 45 . i also have a dui. i’ve struggled with alcohol in the past. i have friends who regularly attend gsl who have duis. you said in the other article about his ad hominems… what do you call this??
if your going to go to any length to discredit it someone, be sure your not going to insult other people along the way, like those who may agree with what ur saying .
really considering cancelling the paper . now, also considering never attending a gsl meeting
We don’t play nicely when we are attacked by ideologues.
If aggressive pro-gun advocacy isn’t your thing, I understand.
We pride ourselves on taking it to those who would strip us of our rights. As I mentioned earlier to Deborah, we won’t fight with one arm tied behind our backs to play nicely with people who would do neither themselves when attacking us.
One thing you’ll learn in training to survive a deadly confrontation is that there are no Marquess of Queensberry rules: You fight to live and win against an unjust, unlawful attack, not to “play fair” or “play nice”.
The fight for our rights is very much a life and death struggle, for if we are stripped of our rights to meaningful self-defense, we will return to a time when younger, stronger men can run roughshod over the very young, the old, the weak, along with women, minorities and those who are unpopular for whatever reason.
So yes, we’re going to share meaningful information about this reporter’s personal life as it lends to understanding how or why he’s denigrating us through his employer’s forum. Yes, it’s ugly, but so was his unwarranted, hate-filled initial drivel masquerading as a newsy opinion piece.
I pretty much consider the matter over and am moving on, unless otherwise provoked by the so-called Leader, or its reporter.
Furthermore, I value advice a lot more when its owner identifies himself or herself. Anonymous criticism is registered, but far less impactful than when someone will stand behind their words, opinions and advice.
John
Furthermore, reference your DUI: Everyone makes mistakes. We all have.
Picking up two DUI arrests in the a four-year period suggests more than a momentary lapse of judgement, but a pattern thereof. Especially when coupled with other behavioral cues.
There are plenty of good people who have picked up an arrest. In most cases, those arrests are minor.
There are even good people who have picked up a felony. After they have demonstrated they are “reformed”, they should have their rights restored. Period.
Guns Save Life has been near the forefront of advocating for the restoration of firearm civil rights for reformed felons. Google “Felons get your gun rights back” and you’ll see us as the second item, right above the Violence Policy Center’s piece on “How the NRA Works to Rearm Criminals”, so our position on that, like many, isn’t without critics.
John
as written, Paul’s OPINION piece(not news article) will probably not change anyone’s mind on gun control, or lack thereof. I’m hoping he writes another column pointing out his views on the subject without bringing your group or any other individual into it. Because I believe he’s on the right side of many of the particulars in the ongoing debate over where someone’s right to keep and bear arms goes up against the government’s duty to protect its citizens.
As for the second amendment, which, thankfully was only brought up maybe twice in this series of posts, I’m always amazed that the part about a well regulated militia is conveniently left out by those advocating less regulation.
And to those bringing up Paul’s possible felony situation: is it fair for anyone convicted of a felony to have to give up their right to self defense?
This too is an OPINION piece, it seems, with some news tossed in.
Please spend some more time doing research into the origins of the second amendment. Especially if you’re going to try to disparage the right protected by that amendment on a blog dedicated to supporting that right.
“Militia” meant all able bodied male citizens. “Regulated” meant well practiced, armed, and ready to act – NOT regulations (I.e. rules, restrictions, limitations, etc) as they are known today.
Very correct, JC, the framers were all very diligent about the “Bill of Rights”, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, and especially the Second, in it’s wording and the backround, it is very clearly written up in the Federalist and anti-Federalist papers, as they (the founders) were deliberating and defining the laws for our new country.
Do a little research, mr. Bacigalupo, before spouting off about things you are apparently misinformed or uninformed about! Many states, including Illinois, define “militia” in their state constitutions, look it up. It is NOT the “National Guard”, it is all law abiding citizens of the state and nation.
These comments don’t surprise me a bit. Like the original article, quite a few are straight out of the progressive playbook. Attack a person or organization, then play the martyr when the victim of the attack pushes back. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad…