The Masked Man
Dude is crazy: Obviously, Ericson Harrell, the police officer throwing a fit about getting arrested in a Guy Fawkes mask ("The Cop Behind the Mask," Terrence McCoy, January 2), is having some sort of brain issue that is causing delusional thinking and mild schizophrenia and paranoia. Most people are able to connect A to B to C and retain critical-thinking skills along the way. But this guy is going from A to C and filling in B with paranoid ideas that he believes are real. I'm sure the revelation that people are "sheeples" a lot of the time adds to his thinking, and I acknowledge that, as so many people are clueless and allow themselves to be controlled in ignorance. But that doesn't make his theories real. He should not be allowed to be around guns given his statements about being attacked or about to be attacked. This is a mental health issue, and I wish him well even if the prognosis is not good as it is a progressive disorder. The really sad thing is how the author tries to link Tea Party ideas to craziness. Now that is "sheeple" brainwashing for real and not at all delusional. Tommy2
Was Columbus crazy?: Everyone thought the world was flat at one point. Who was the crazy one then — the sheep who followed convention or the ones who thought outside the box? It's easy to call someone a nut and not think about the deeper issue. Ignorance is bliss for most of us, but others seek to push the envelope. I hope the cop is wrong, but if he is right, I'm glad there's someone out there looking out for my constitutional rights. Fer De La Mancha
Mask arrests are definitely crazy: The article would leave a layperson unsure whether wearing a mask is legal. It is absolutely legal to wear a mask in Florida while doing almost anything! The only time it is illegal to wear a mask is if you are committing a crime. The law that most are referring to is F.S. 876.12-15. But it seems what most journalists and police officers fail to read is the very next section, 876.155, which basically says the four statutes above apply only if you are committing a crime. Mark Eckert
He's not crazy at all: Ericson Harrell is not a conspiracy theorist. If people would wake up and do the research, it's all there. Patti Cole
Being a cop makes you crazy: What do you expect? After 25 years of being a subordinate, never allowed to express himself, and always following orders like a good little minion, he was bound to break sooner or later. Victor Gerard-Raphel
Guy Fawkes, crazy guy: I've never understood how Guy Fawkes has become the hero of the anti-government movement. The guy wanted to blow up the closest thing to democracy in 16th/17th-century Europe — the English Parliament — not to destroy government but to ease the way for the takeover of England by the Roman Catholic Church, the very epitome of a hierarchical dictatorship. Clayton44
Stealing the Swagger
UM is cheap: I don't agree with everything in Luke's column about how the University of Louisville football team's Miami transplants destroyed the University of Miami Hurricanes ("Talent Drain," Luther Campbell, January 2), but Luke has some valid points. UM president Donna Shalala and former athletic director Kirby Hocutt screwed the budget so tightly on ex-coach Randy Shannon that it was embarrassing. He had to do everything on the cheap. Recruits saw it when they ran out of food at dinners or the year-end team banquets had to be thrifted to avoid cancellation. It was so bad he had to pay for stuff out of his own pocket because the U wouldn't. Randy was a better coach and more loyal to his alma mater than the current Penn State crew ever will be. If Shalala had given him help and internal support rather than resistance, Randy would have had a better chance. We should be so lucky as to have Al Golden leave for another job. He's a PR machine, but he isn't teaching these kids. Miami should not be a job-training destination for coaches, but again, Shalala will never spend the money for an established coach. cskm289
