On the Cover 

Editor:

I don't get it. The Journal's article in the Jan. 8 issue ("Catch and Release") about the local effects of Proposition 47 was balanced and compassionate. Several top law enforcement officials were quoted expressing their concerns for the citizenry, victims and perpetrators alike. A recurring theme was the need for more treatment and counseling for drug offenders instead of incarceration.

So what was the cover art supposed to express? The image was a scowling cop literally dumping human refuse into the garbage shoot of the county jail, leaving the human vermin to scuttle off, free as rats. Cops as frustrated trash pickers? People as useless junk? Did artist Joel Mielke read the article? Is the cover meant to illustrate or titillate?

I know you want get the widest readership for your advertisers. But come on. Maybe the advertisers — and readers — might appreciate thoughtful cover art that reflects the copy inside rather than look-at-me cartoons that strut around thoughtlessly trash talking.

— Andy Barnett, Redway