Overdue perspective offers hope for cop in Iowa mess

That judge that gave this cop time for what he did in self defense must have been drinking some that booze made from that iowa corn,sounds like a kangaroo court on smoky and the bandit.

Typical Kass. If someone reads through the facts (including those Kass doesn't mention) and thinks that maybe, just maybe, the police, prosecutors and judge didn't conspire to put an innocent man in jail--you're a cop-hater. By the way, what do you call a columnist who who writes dozens of times about this but never found time to write about innocent men in Chicago being railroaded to Death Row?

What occurs to me is this:

Over the national news, images of Chicago cops (literal video) out of control was fresh in the minds of Iowa law enforcement. They probably said somewhere along the way "If Chicago won't prosecute its cops, we will." While that may or may not be fair in this case, the "blue wall" culture here and in other big cities have sent the message that "cops are untouchable." Even Hollywood has gotten into the action, with "Unlawful Entry" and the new Samuel L. Jackson movie.

there are two sides to every story, and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. regretably, Mr Kass has provided only one side.
I applaud the folks in IA for not being intimidated by calls from the CPD Supt, et al., as well as the presence of the CPD.

Thanks for speaking out for Mike Mette. He is in our prayers.

Does a person have to have a liquor license to sell beer out of their home?

A simple case of self defense. Iowa legal system needs a revamp. Time to end this travisty and send the man home.

DanS wrote:

there are two sides to every story, and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. regretably, Mr Kass has provided only one side.
I applaud the folks in IA for not being intimidated by calls from the CPD Supt, et al., as well as the presence of the CPD.

What part of these columns have you
been unable to read or understand?
Just do us all a favour and crawl back
under the moss covered log you live
under!

Jean, yes, you do need a liquor license to sell liquor/beer in Iowa, and no, private residences are not eligible.

What kind of cop goes to an illegal party, and what did the cop say to the host as he left? As a former Iowan I concede that Iowa is a meth state, but there was no meth involved in this case. As described by Kass, none of this makes any sense.

But then again you may not know that in Iowa we don't expect our police to beat up drunks, on or off duty. In physical interactions the imbalance of power means a lot, and the notion that height means something in a drunken fight is delusional. The taller you are, the easier a target you make. Beanpoles are not boxers.

Mette should have taken the jury trial. Jurors are suckers for cops, Iowa judges? Not so much.

But I have no clue what really happened because all I've ever read about this is John Kass's one-sided columns, and I don't feel like paying the DM Register to read their old stories.

Btw, I live in St. Paul and have written about how good our cops were during the RNC, a performance sadly marred by the few bad cops who enjoy pepper spraying non-violent protesters. Good cops rarely get caught up in violence. Bad cops? Bad cops bring the violence with them.

I'd love to know which kind of cop Mette is, but reading Kass isn't helpful.

Nice work, Kass! Thanks again for continuing to write about this and for the support you give to Mike and his family!

John, Kudos to you for your coverage on this travesty.

I know it's an absurd comparison, but Charlie Gibson's recent interview of VP candidate Sarah Palin has me thinking about playing defense. If our national policy is that of preemptive strikes when faced with an imminent threat, it seems only logical to push that down to allow an individual to strike out against someone posing a threat. Of course, I thought the notion of self-defense was already well accepted in cases such as Mette's. Unfortunately, Mette was off the reservation when this incident happened and, arguably, the bad behavior of other Chicago police officers is wreaking horrible consequences for Mette. I'm glad that you, John Kass, are keeping this matter in the pages of the CT. Keep up the good journalism.

How much does Kass get paid for writing the same article over and over and over. At least give the other side of the story. COME ON

The cop did nothing. The other guy was a drunk who deserved it. That's the entire story. COME ON!

Ed Rison wrote:

I know it's an absurd comparison, but Charlie Gibson's recent interview of VP candidate Sarah Palin has me thinking about playing defense. If our national policy is that of preemptive strikes when faced with an imminent threat, it seems only logical to push that down to allow an individual to strike out against someone posing a threat. Of course, I thought the notion of self-defense was already well accepted in cases such as Mette's. Unfortunately, Mette was off the reservation when this incident happened and, arguably, the bad behavior of other Chicago police officers is wreaking horrible consequences for Mette. I'm glad that you, John Kass, are keeping this matter in the pages of the CT. Keep up the good journalism.

Good Journalism?! For a grade school newspaper maybe! COME ON!

Mike N wrote:

Typical Kass. If someone reads through the facts (including those Kass doesn't mention) and thinks that maybe, just maybe, the police, prosecutors and judge didn't conspire to put an innocent man in jail--you're a cop-hater. By the way, what do you call a columnist who who writes dozens of times about this but never found time to write about innocent men in Chicago being railroaded to Death Row?

Boy. Mike N. It's obvious you wanted to be a police officer but failed to make the grade.

Come ON wrote:

How much does Kass get paid for writing the same article over and over and over. At least give the other side of the story. COME ON

Hey Come On, please start reading the Sun-Times so we don't have to hear from you anymore.

5 years for hitting a kid in the face seems real harsh, I wonder what led to the lower court's decision on that one.

I'm sure they'll overturn the decision and remand it back to the lower court for another trial on a lesser charge. The punishment here does NOT fit the crime.

One thing I have trouble believing is Kass' recitation of the facts. He makes Mette and his friends seem like angels and usually when fights like this occur both sides are going at it (being in my mid-20's I have an idea). This line is hilarious also: "Gothard was out and about in four days, eating cheeseburgers, golfing and drinking." Oh yeah? I can just picture this kid with a broken jaw mowing down burgers and playing 18. Total bias there.

Robert-Chicago wrote:

<quoted text>Boy. Mike N. It's obvious you wanted to be a police officer but failed to make the grade.

And here Bobby drags out an oldie but goodie: can't argue the facts, resort to ad hominem.

Couldn't care less about the case (guess that makes me a "cop-hater"), but certainly a valid point by Mike N. Lead the nation in incorrect death-row imprisonments, but whither Kass? Guess those lower-class folks don't have the ability to wipe away speeding tickets...

Let's take the fact that he is a Chicago cop out of it. If he were YOUR son - would you want everyone just chalking HIM up as a bad seed just because he is from Chicago? I don't think so. I seem to remember reading some about the Iowa kids Dad being some sort of hot shot and had some kind of influence over the judge. If I were the Mettes family I would make sure all of that came out in my lawsuit if it is true. And to everyone else out there - this is NOT the first time John Kass has written articles about the wronged.

I would bet that if I acted drunk and came up and shoved you on the street you would throw a punch. How about if you walked away from the first shove and I chased you down the street and did it again...would you defend yourself as you have a right to do or would you run away? This young cop doesn't deserve this!!!

DanS wrote:

there are two sides to every story, and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. regretably, Mr Kass has provided only one side.
I applaud the folks in IA for not being intimidated by calls from the CPD Supt, et al., as well as the presence of the CPD.