In Defense of Self

While working for a nationally known package delivery company, I was required to wear an identification card showing I was employed by the company, therefore authorized to be on the loading dock at the time. However, one morning I made the mistake of not having the badge on as I walked through the buildings doors.

That’s where I was grabbed by the companies dock supervisor – literally. He latched on to my left arm and swung me around, yelling “You can’t be in here!”

I don’t like to be touched by anyone I don’t know – it freaks me out.

My reaction was to cock my fist, throw a punch at him and shout, “Don’t you ever effing touch me!”  Another of the other supervisors grabbed me by the waist and dragged me out of the building.

Meanwhile, the plant manager stepped in front of the dock supervisor, directing him into a neutral corner so to speak. Their actions calmed the situation down immediately.

The next day I found myself apologizing to the dock supervisor for having threatened him as I did. He in turn apologized for having grabbed me.

Where this is leading and why it’s relevant is that recently a candidate for Nevada’s Congressional District 2 seat, vacated by now Senator Dean Heller, threatened a Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter with arrest for touching him. It’s a situation I can fully empathize with.

According to an online blog report from the same news paper, reporter Ed Vogel approached Former Navy Commander and current CD-2 candidate Kirk Lippold to ask him a question or two about some statements he made during the debate. The blog reads, “Vogel touched him on his suit coat with two fingers and asked for a more complete answer.”

“Two fingers,” –really?

When someone goes to the extreme of pointing out how many fingers touched the other person, instead of simply saying “touched,” I get more than a little suspicious.

But what the blog’s author fails to include in the article is what is in the back of everyone’s mind: Did Vogel introduce himself as a reporter or did he simply walk up to the Skipper and ask him a question point-blank?

If he did introduce himself – did Lippold hear him? This is still an unknown. What is known is that Vogel made inappropriate contact with the former Commander.

This is known as assault – or rather – the threat of violence. It occurs when a person feels his or her space has been violated in a manner that leaves them feeling unsafe.

Now — a little background on Carson City native  Lippold — he was the Commanding Officer of the USS Cole (DDG-67) on October 12, 2000 when the ship was attacked and bombed by Al-Qaeda terrorists during a refueling stop in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 sailors.

Hypersensitive to personal safety? You bet!

As for Vogel, according to the blog article, he has been a newspaper reporter for more than forty-years, including 34 with the Review-Journal. The same story adds, “… this was the first time anyone has threatened Vogel with arrest.”

In speaking with others who know reporter Vogel, they say he has been known to assume everyone knows who he is – therefore he may have expected Lippold to recognize him without question. This is a case of ego, poor judgment or bad manners, take your pick.

Then there are the few who say Vogel sometimes practices “gotcha-journalism.” It was explained to me by three people, that he often fails to introduce himself and acts rather like “jus’ another interested person,” instead of a professional journalist.

The online posting states: “One of the debate coordinators who knew Vogel told Lippold he was a veteran reporter, and only then did the candidate answer his questions.”

This doesn’t square up with what else is reported in the same piece. The article claims Vogel spoke to Lippold, asking him questions, where upon Lippold “briefly answered, turned and started to move away.”

If he briefly answered – then one can conclude the Skipper knew Vogel was a reporter and felt he had answered the question. Why then would Vogel need to be pointed out as a “veteran reporter?”

I’d love to hear the entire tape, Vogel is said to have had with him at the time, so we could know exactly what went down.