Would you read this article and give me your reaction?

[democratreformed]

Rider drowns in Bald Knob pond

A Bald Knob man drowned Wednesday after he was thrown from a horse into a pond. He is survived by his wife and their five children.

Bobby Herman, 35, rented a small house for his family on Charlie Peacock's Lealon Lane property, where he spent his days riding horses.

Wednesday morning, a cow was loose on the property and Herman was rounding it up on a horse. The cow went into the pond to cool off, and Herman followed it, according to Peacock.

John Goss, who rents an office on the property, saw the horse buck off Herman, and saw the man go under. Goss ran to get help from Peacock, and Herman was pulled from about 10 feet of water.

"I gave him CPR for about 15 minutes," said Peacock. "When I first started his lips were blue, but after a while there was some pink in them. When the ambulance got here they said they could feel a pulse, but I guess there was just too much water in his lungs."

Herman was mentally retarded, as is his wife, said Bald Knob resident Jimmy Hickman, who administers the couple's bank account. Hickman and his wife pay the Hermans' rent, buy their food and clothing and otherwise tend to their financial needs.

"People want to turn their head and say somebody else will take care of them," said Hickman.

The couple's five children are all under 10 years of age. As difficult as their situation was, said Hickman, they seem to have been happy on Peacock's property.

Link to rest of article: http://www.thedailycitizen.com/articles/2004/06/03/news/news01.txt

On edit: This is my brother-in-law. I am in an argument with the newspaper editor about this article.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

1. It's a sad story for the wife and 5 kids

did I miss something?

[democratreformed]

2. It is personal to me

This is my brother-in-law. I am in an argument with the newspaper editor. Bobby's daughter read that he was "mentally retarded" and did not understand. His family is angry that it was written that way. The newspaper claims it is a story of triumph over adversity. Is that what you see?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. I'm very sorry.

I didn't see it as ' a story of triumph over adversity ' but I also didn't see anything inappropriate or insensitive. I get the impression that the paper was simply trying to present a sad and poignant story. I don't know whether the use of the phrase 'mentally retarded' is what his family is objecting to - I don't pretend to be an expert editor or a judge of what is politically correct but perhaps they should have used a different phrase. I didn't know whether that phrase is considered acceptable or whether it accurately applies to your brother in law.

But the overriding impression I got was that your brother-in-law was a well-liked family man who suffered an unfortunate accident.

You and your family have my sympathy.

[democratreformed]

4. Thank You

Sometimes, in our grief, we tend to see things differently than if we are able to think rationally. That's why I wanted to see what someone else thought. The editor says they were trying to portray exactly what you said. I'm glad you could see that when we couldn't.