Mayor's language about shooter criticized

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- A North Carolina mayor's use of a four-letter word in a Facebook post about accused shooter Jared Lee Loughner has ignited a free-speech debate, officials say.

Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton's personal reaction to the shootings, posted on his Facebook page, has some criticizing the mayor's language while others argue over whether a Facebook posting is a public or private forum, The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday.

In his Facebook posting, Chilton wrote, "Shooter, you probably think you did this for your country, but like Timothy McVeigh you are America's worst enemy. You don't deserve the kind of civilized trial and punishment that you will end up with. (Expletive) you."

Chilton says he stands by his choice of words.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with expressing my gut reaction to such a turn of events," he says. "I think Loughner ought to get a fair trial like anybody, but that's different from what he deserves."

Carrboro resident Carter Hubbard says the mayor's language was questionable and that he missed an opportunity to take a more unifying stand.

"I am not denying my mayor's human right to emotional response," Hubbard wrote in a letter to the Observer. "It is often difficult to separate the private person from the political one. ... One could have hoped for a mayor that took a positive, unifying leadership role in the community."

Chilton, who says he considers Hubbard a friend, thinks his language was appropriate for the moment.

"I wasn't expressing myself as a mayor. I was expressing myself as a human being," he says. "I think that is a legitimate expression. It was a moment that called for it."