Lobstering on the job
A quick one from dailynews.com
Three Long Beach police officers who reported that colleagues went lobster hunting during work hours instead of guarding the port were punished rather than praised, their attorneys told a jury today.
"The Long Beach Police Department is not a department that rewards people who report misconduct," attorney Christopher Brizzolara, who represents Officer Warren Harris, said during final arguments in the trial of the trio's lawsuit. "In fact, they get retaliated against."
Former Long Beach Deputy Chief Timothy Jackman -- now the Santa Monica police chief -- jokingly dubbed the scandal "Lobstergate," Brizzolara said.
"This case is not really about lobster diving," he told jurors. "What it's about is leaving the port unsecured."
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And, as a final, quick thought, this reminds me of one of my great journalistic irritations. Why do we add "-gate" onto everything to make it into a scandal? Nixon didn't get nailed for covering up a break-in at the Water hotel, it was the Watergate.
And yet, when things get that tainted twist, they become Travel-gate, Camilla-gate and Plame-gate. I could go on, but if you're really into it, just check out the Wikipedia list. The media's over-reliance on this term is, of course, Gate-gate.
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