Top Comments: The Stories on Salem-News.com That Really Got People Talking

The stories that received the highest number of visitor comments in 2009 on Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - Comments, comments and more comments, that is our life here at Salem-News.com, day in and day out. We decided at the very beginning of our existence in the summer of 2004 that people should be allowed a voice, and interactivity took a big step forward.

It took some time but eventually we adapted our new framework, created by our Web Designer Matt Lintz, and the comment section was alive. In our all time history, Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin Dies in Freak Accident on Barrier Reef takes the award with so many hundreds of comments that I lost track.

Needless to say, the story about the Ukrainian couple who were ultimately convicted of abusing five of their six children, was the most talked about story of the year, hands down. There is a lesson in this; people moving legally to the United States need a serious education in our laws and cultural values, so they at least know what is expected of them.

This couple, Alexander and Lyudmila Kozlov, received overwhelming support from members of their church and other friends. All the while it seems they were given advice that ranked as bad as the child abuse. The cultural misunderstandings and their religious justifications did nothing but land this couple in more trouble.

It is tragic that a family is broken up over such serious abuse and ignorance, and it seems clear that some degree of intervention could have saved a lot of grief and pain.

I hope the church members who wrote horrible comments about these abused children being at fault for their parents' actions, can someday learn the magnitude and impact of that kind of thinking. People should stick together, but admit when a mistake has taken place.

A story that is always popular and eternally receiving new comments, is about my good friend Q Madp who works closely with our team and owns and operates a number of Websites that commemorate the U.S. military. Q is most well known for IraqWarHeroes.org and he is always attending memorials and services to photograph and document the events for families. If and when they agree, he shares images with Salem-News.com. There is a long list of stories from these events that we have in our archives thanks to Q.

For those who accuse us of leaning left politically, our relationship with Q is evidence that our interests are not about "right and left"; they are about honor and truth and knowing and doing what is right in this world. Q is a great person and we all salute him for his endless traveling and his relentless drive to keep people from forgetting our military heroes.

When I think of Q, I remember leaving the Portland Airport last summer to travel to Iraq where I covered the war for a few weeks. Q was there, along with several members of the Patriot Guard motorcycle riders to wish me well. This is the kind of thing no person soon forgets.

Few people stir emotions as well as our frequent writer, Daniel Johnson, in Calgary, Alberta. His clever and well thought out articles explore the psyche of the American public with a twist of his Canadian hijinks and a splash of brutal truth.

He knows how to play his hand as a writer and his work is simply powerful. Several people have emailed and written comments to us stating that Daniel is the single best writer at Salem-News.com. That is tough competition with our total of 39 regular contributors, but I think it is entirely possible.

Those who back their heartfelt beliefs and statements the right way, through corroborated and even undeniable evidence, sometimes find a way to deliver a certain magic when they write. In this regard, Daniel is nothing less than a wizard.

A story about a local woman convicted of stealing money from her employer published in March 2008, has drawn more comments over time that anyone expected.

I don't profess to know a whole lot about it, but it is a class example of how the comments can ultimately tell a lot more about a situation than the published story itself.

I am not a good sport when it comes to false propaganda. Based on the assumption that people really can only offer as much respect as they have for themselves, I am disgusted with the regard many in this country have for our new President. If it is a legitimate gripe then good, I am with you, and there are plenty of things about Barack Obama that I am unhappy about.

But none of it relates to birth certificates, affiliations with radical preachers, the overblown conflict over ACORN, and most of all, the charge that our President is a Socialist. What a bunch of hogwash.

But to be sure, I went right to the source. At an anti-war rally and demonstration a few months ago... the Socialist Party itself was on hand. Now, if you were a member of this group and you even thought the President leaned toward Socialism, wouldn't you jump on the bandwagon?

I was told point blank by the American Socialist Party that Barack Obama is not a Socialist, period.

This story led to an interesting interview on California's Pacifica Network: Salem-News Article on Socialism Leads to Drive Time Interview on LA Radio Station The story caught the eye of KPFK 90.7 FM's Sonali Kolhatkar in Los Angeles, host and lead producer of the PBS radio program Uprising, which emphasizes connecting global issues with local ones.

Last but not least by any means, the subject of medical marijuana and marijuana legalization in general, found its way into the top ten list twice.

Our Dr. Phil Leveque regularly writes about medical cannabis and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that so many combat veterans suffer from. There is a big relationship between marijuana and PTSD management for some people.

There are probably few if any people alive in the world today who know more about it or have more experience treating people with it, than our hero Dr. Phil Leveque.

A mother and father accused of child abuse by their own kids, were arrested Sunday in Salem. Lt. Sheila Lorance with the Marion County Sheriff's Office, says it began with deputy response to a 9-1-1 call from Pet Smart on Lancaster Drive regarding a report of child abuse.

Lorance said, "When Deputies arrived they made contact with three children ages 15, 14 and 13 who indicated their parents had been physically abusing them since they arrived in the United States from the Ukraine in 2003."

His mission is sincere, and exact. A one-man operation, Q Madp attends funerals and memorials for lost service members in the Northwest whenever possible to pay his respects to the fallen heroes.

He photographs the services, then posts a limited amount of them on the hero’s Tribute Page, and provides the other photos at no cost to the immediate family member. No strings attached. It's a Thank You for the sacrifice that they have made.

A detective in Marion County says it's the worst case of child abuse he has ever seen. Several children removed from a Ukrainian immigrant home in Salem say they have been brutalized by their parents since arriving in the United States six years ago.

40-year old Alexander Kozlov and 39-year old Lyudmila Kozlova were arrested for child abuse against six of their children, who called 911 July 19, 2009, asking the police to rescue them. The kids are aged 15, 14, 13, 11, 10, 9 and six days.

Every few years I find a book that changes my entire paradigm about the world—sometimes just a significant part of my world; sometimes my total worldview. The last such book was The User Illusion Tors Nørretranders which I found (by accident) in a book store in May, 1998.

The current book is A Necessary Evil: A history of American distrust of government by Northwestern University historian, Garry Wills, which was suggested to me by my friend and colleague, Henry Clay Ruark.

Linn County Sheriff deputies executed several search warrants in Marion County near Aumsville and Salem yesterday.

Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller says all items were seized in connection with an investigation of an alleged embezzlement that occurred at Jeff King Construction 30126 Santiam Hwy in Lebanon, by a former employee.

I can tell you the firsthand experience with the abuse I had to suffer as a child. People often wonder why so many Russian children are violent or just plain wild or uncontrollable. It is merely a cry for help.

These kids are raised in an extremely controlled and sheltered environment, raised with obnoxious religious outlooks, and told to act like everything is perfect in public no matter how much shit they are put through. Oh, and did I mention that ANY disobedience means a beating?

Detractors of the new U.S. President and developing American policy are increasingly using the word "Socialist" to describe Barack Obama's strategies.

In discussing Socialism in the U.S. and all the hype surrounding it recently, a friend said tonight on the phone, "I've worked with people from Socialist countries and they want nothing to do with that kind of lifestyle".

As far as I can tell from research, President Obama is not part of or even affiliated with the Socialist Party. It is a complete and total stretch, like trying to tie him to a former terrorist who he once sat on a board with; a person who committed crimes when Obama was a seven-year old boy.

Criminal cases involving the criminal mistreatment of the children of a Ukrainian immigrant couple, began winding to a close today. Alexander Kozlov & Lyudmila Kozlov, were both found guilty on nine counts of criminal mistreatment involving the abuse of their children.

When we first began covering the story several months ago, we were overwhelmed with comments from church friends of the accused couple, and well over 90% of everything that came in basically condemned the children and excused, even praised the adults.

A new Zogby poll commissioned by the conservative-leaning O'Leary Report has found 52 percent voter support for treating marijuana as a legal, taxed, regulated substance.

The survey, published as a full-page ad in today's issue of the political newspaper The Hill, polled a sample of 3,937 voters weighted to match the 2008 presidential outcome -- 54 percent Obama voters and 46 percent McCain supporters.

I am not surprised that the number one thing Americans are asking President-elect Barack Obama is whether or not he is going to legalize marijuana. Generations are changing and evolving and the taboos around cannabis are slowly falling away. American industries can harness the power of this multi-billion dollar, still mostly black market business. The attitude of people in this country is in a mode of great anticipation and change.

Barack Obama is already on the record saying he does not want to use the Justice Department to bust state operated medical marijuana dispensaries. People submitting questions in this Online event seem to identify the legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana overall, as a top priority.

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Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com

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Coral Anika Theill December 31, 2009 7:10 pm (Pacific time)

When I reflect on Tim and Bonnie King's acts of support, encouragement, advocacy, kindness and selflessness towards me these past couple years, I am reminded of the quote, "You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them."

Tim and Bonnie King of Salem-News.com (http://salem-news.com) deserve the title of "unsung heroes" for their publication of articles and personal advocacy for victims of abuse and injustice in America and throughout the world.

I remain in awe and respect of their exceptional professional abilities, as well as their own profound wisdom and intuitive skills.

Tim and Bonnie King's articles are "light" in what sometimes can appear to be a very dark world. Their articles are a legacy for those who wish to "choose to face the light." When the pupil is ready, the teacher arrives.

Tim and Bonnie King role model the true definition of "freedom." True freedom begins the day we walk away from fear, scarcity, blame and guilt. We must take responsibility for our own life, to the best of our ability, and help serve as beacons along the way.

It is my hope and prayer that individuals facing insurmountable crisis and tragedies will be blessed with compassionate advocates extraordinaire such as Tim and Bonnie King. Their profound articles covering all aspects of human life and suffering remind me of one of my favorite quotes: "Comfort the disturbed, disturb the comfortable." Their compassion has been equally balanced by a healthy sense of humor, which to this day, I appreciate.

In short, there are journalists who report the news and then there are a select few who inspire, challenge and enlighten their readers. Because of their courage and their passion to "be the change they wish to see in the world," Tim and Bonnie King are the later. Their work will continue to raise the consciousness of our society today and in years to come.

Respectfully,

Coral Anika Theill
Author, Advocate, Survivor and Mother of Lost Children
Published book website: http://bonshea.com

Jazz Lover December 30, 2009 2:47 pm (Pacific time)

Go get 'em Salem-News.com!

Bernie from L.A. December 30, 2009 1:23 pm (Pacific time)

In your story "The Source on Socialism" there are two corrections to be made: 1. Although it is a CA corporation, The Pacifica Network is not a "California" network. Pacifica has 5 stations: LA, NY, DC, Berkeley, and Houston.
2. Neither KPFK nor Kolhatkar's "Uprising" have any association with PBS. Pacifica is, in fact, the very first listener-supported radio enterprise in the U.S. It now also has some minor CPB funding.

Tim King: Bernie, thank you for noting these things, the CPB funding threw me off track, and I am glad to know the Pacifica Network is in other locations.

Stuart December 30, 2009 9:58 am (Pacific time)

Has anyone made a comparison with this site's top articles with other organizations top stories? I've been doing a review and have not seen any yet, but maybe that is why this site is unique unto itself?

So today you aren't Ken Hadley? or Lyle? Whoever you are, you are missing the fact that we are unique because we cover news that the mainstream ignores. That is what results in these statistics.

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