Saturday, March 26, 2005

Whew!

Yahoo! News - Attorneys: Schiavo Legal Fight Nears End

Finally. You have to feel for these parents. Having a severely handicapped child is hardly easy, and they only want to try and give her every opportunity available. However, when that child stays in the same condition for years and years, the kindest thing is to let her go, Courts agreed, although I have to wonder why in the world the attorneys would agree to file appeals that get sent to judges where the motion fell flat. If there was ever any doubt as to her wishes, she said she would not want to live as a vegetable to others besides her husband. After nearly two dozen rulings where just about everyone said the same thing, the fight needs to be over.
No, Jeb Bush does not need to step in. After all, the powers of government were set up so one branch would not infringe on the decisions of other branches. If this were a death row case, it might be different. But keep in mind Terri was not convicted of murder. Don't ask the Fla. governor to break the law just to see your plans accomplished. That's not fair.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Edit? Fuhggeddaboudit

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With the recent courtroom shootings down here in Georgia, the media has made many a mention. And they should, seeing as how a Superior Court Judge, Rowland Barnes, a court reporter, Julie Ann Brandeau, and an off duty deputy Teasley were killed, another deputy in the hospital. A customs agent was also killed, but the case hs not gone to court yet and whether or not that last death can be linked to the alleged suspect has yet to be determined.
Anyone who knows me well can probably vouch for the fact that I am fairly well knowledgeable when it comes to the news. So, newspaper letters to the editor catch my attention. In last Sunday's Atlanta Journal Constitution, someone wrote about the hostage taken, Ashley Smith, who was held prisoner for seven hours until police could move in and capture Brain Nichols. It was said she did the right thing for going to the media afterwards and "unselfishly" telling her story. Wait a minute. Seems to me people might want to know what happened in the courthouse in the final moments of people's lives. Why in the world does talking about how the arrest took place get called being unselfish?

So much for brains

Yahoo! News - 5-Year-Old Cuffed, Arrested in Florida

I have a problem with this story, and not for the reason you might think. Setting aside the obvious problem of failing to teach a child how to behave in public, the mother's response is totally off base. She claims her child was "set up". Wait a minute! So, if I heard her correctly, here is what the teacher was thinking, "Today I want to make sure my classroom gets into the news. How can I make it happen? I know! I'll play a game with the children, and use candy. When a child acts up, (and I know one will, I've been teaching long enough) I'll take away the candy. With luck, it will be the one kid who gets mad at the slightest provcation. Then, I'll make a phone call, to the cops. And, I'll mention that this child is a potential danger to self and others, so why not use plastic restraints?" Excuse me????!!!!! Correct me if I'm wrong, but F. Lee Bailey would have a field day with this one. Malice of forethought would fall flat as Humpty Dumpty. Remember- All the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Finally! Some Common Sense

USATODAY.com - Atlanta rampage suspect makes court appearance

Over the weekend, one of the most talked about crime sprees occurred in Atlanta. For a time, it outweighed the Michael Jackson trial, much to my relief.
Law enforcement is to be commended for their swift action in trying to track Nichols down. Further accolades for not losing their heads whilst getting him captured and arrested. Now then, can someone please explain the failure to cordon off the parking garage where the Honda was found? After all, they were not on the bottom floor. Seems to me that a search might warranted a peek into every nook and cranny. Up here in Roswell, that would be called a brainfart. Worse yet, taking Nichols into a holding cell so he could change clothes was poor planning. Not because women cannot make good cops. But she was a lot smaller, which gave Nichols the advantage, hands down.

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Rather Ruckus

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Tonight marks Dan Rather's last night on the air, so to speak. He is steppign down from the anchor chair of CBS Evening News with Bob Schieffer of Meet the Press taking over starting tomorrow. A couple of people have been going on camera with some snide comments. I think Walter, though, has a point. With the Bush document controversy, Rather stayed on perhaps longer than acceptable due to his length of time being a journalist. But why in heaven's name was Cronkite invited aboard to chat about CBS when he is not fond of Rather to begin with? This is hardly a secret, btw. Rather had an ABC offer and mentioned to CBS that he needed a better deal in order not to jump ship. They hopped to. Cronkite was out, although involved down the road in other projects, and Dan stepped up.

Friday, March 04, 2005

Kobe Kerfluffle

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Well, the case that never was turned out to be the case which will never be. Kobe Bryant nd his attorney, Pamela Mackie, settled out of court to whats her name who sued for damages after alleging sexual misconduct. I have a couple of questions: did this girl know Kobe had a wife? If so, she had NO business going to see him in his hotel room. 2) Why didn't Bryant ask her to leave? Better yet, why couldn't he have left the door shut?
The one good thing perhaps about this newest development is that it gave news audiences a break from the Michael jackson trial (my sympathies to those who have to cover THAT spectacle-If Jackson's family had done their job a long time ago, it might not have gotten this far. Michael needs to be treated like the child he so clearly is and be banned from letting children spend the night. Even during the day, he should never be left alone in their company).

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

Deja Vu all over again

CNN.com - Teen gets 30 years in Zoloft�case - Feb 16, 2005

This reminded me of Andrea Yates. There's a big difference, though, Andrea was sick. Lest one get confused, I'm talking about medical illness, not psychosis. That does not quite fit, IMO. The question used to be "Did the accused know what he/she was doing at the time??" Now, it's "Did the accused know the difference between right and wrong?" In both these cases, the answer is yes. Think about it. Andrea waited until she was alone with her kids (grandma (to kids) was en route, but not there yet). She filled the tub, and systematically drowned each child one by one. She called both her husband and the police, and confessed to the policeman who showed up at her door.
The teenager in the Zoloft murders may have had some bad reaction to medication, but he still made the decision to kill. Birdshot? Well. okay. Here's my question: family members knew he was having med problems, right? He said so: and his aunt testified to that on the witness stand. So why in the world did they not demand the doctor either adjust or eliminate his dosage? Seems as though abdicated responsibility played a role.