Virginia Republican George Allen was considered a shoo-in to retain his U.S. Senate seat in the race against Democrat James Webb. With only two months to go before election day, Allen began to self-destruct. First, at a campaign stop, he pointed out one of Webb's volunteer workers, a 20 year-old Virginia-born college student of Indian descent, and called him MACACA. Then he responded to questions about the possible Jewish ancestry of his 83 year-old mother in less than stellar fashion. Finally, he was accused of having used the word "nigger" repeatedly some 30 years ago.
Macaca is the name of an Asian monkey and the word is also a racial slur used against native North Africans by persons of European ancestry. Allen's mother came from Tunisia where the word is a derogatory term. When asked what he meant by macaca, Allen replied that he did not know its meaning because he had just made the word up. Yeah, right - if you believe that Senator Allen made up the word macaca, I'll get the tooth fairy to leave a deed under your pillow for some ocean front property in Arizona.
Allen's mother was born into a (Jewish) Sephardic family in Tunisia. Apparently his mother never told Allen of her Jewishness before he was asked about her ancestry. He responded to the question by accusing his detractors of "making aspersions" in trying to cast him as a Jew. Aspersions? Used in that context, the term implies that Jewishness is unbecoming of a U.S. Senator. To compound matters, he made some inappropriate jokes about his eating ham sandwiches and his mother making good pork chops, to prove that they were not Jewish.
When accused of having used the "N" word repeatedly some 30 years ago, Allen denied these charges by claiming that he had NEVER used that derogatory racial slur. A few people, who appear to be credible, have come forward to say they often heard Allen use the "N" word, while others say they never heard him use any racial slurs. So, who are you going to believe? The O. J. Simpson murder trial comes to mind.
The Simpson defense strategy was to claim that physical evidence against O. J. was fabricated by racist LAPD homicide investigators. They focused on detective Mark Fuhrman who found the infamous glove next to one of the structures on the Simpson property. During Fuhrman's cross examination, F. Lee Bailey asked the detective if he had ever used the "N" word. When Fuhrman replied that he had never used the word, he not only self-destructed, but he also resurrected Bailey's career which had been in remission. The defense rebutted Fuhrman's denial with a witness who once worked with him on a book she was writing and who claimed he used the "N" word several times while he was helping her with the book.
From 1948 to 1993, I worked with hundreds of police officers, including a number of black officers, and I do not know of a single one who has never used the "N" word, and that includes me. Were any of these officers racist? Some were, but most were not. Was Fuhrman a racist? I do not believe he was. His closest friend was an African-American officer. Why would Fuhrman lie on the witness stand? I believe it was because he thought that if he admitted using racist slurs, he would be seen as a despicable racist in the eyes of a predominantly black jury, as well as by a nationwide television audience.
Bailey should never have been allowed to ask the question about the "N" word because it was not relevant to the finding of the glove. Marcia Clark and Chris Darden, the inept prosecutors, should have objected loudly. When they did not, Judge Lance Ito should have taken it on himself to stop Fuhrman from answering the question. Because Ito was star struck with the TV cameras on him, he allowed the trial to get out of hand time after time, the Fuhrman questioning being just one example. When Fuhrman perjured himself, he accomodated the predominently black jury that was predisposed to acquit Simpson, which they did after less than an hour of serious deliberation.
What has happened to Fuhrman since the Simpson trial? He retired from the Los Angeles Police Department and subsequently pled guilty to perjury, thus ending a notable career in disgrace. Since then he has successfully authored a number of books, the most prominent of which, MURDER IN GREENWICH, dealt with the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley in Greenwich, Connecticut. The case remained dormant until 1998, when the book called attention to evidence Fuhrman had uncovered that Michael Skakel, nephew of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, beat Moxley to death with a golf club. Fuhrman's book was instrumental in reopening the case and led to Skakel's murder trial and conviction.
What has happened to F. Lee Bailey? In 2001,he was disbarred in Florida on seven counts of misconduct involving the withholding of some assets belonging to a convicted drug dealer which had been ordered forfeited to the U.S. government. Massachusetts followed with a reciprocal disbarment in 2002.
What should Fuhrman and Allen have done when confronted with the "N" word allegations? They should have said, "Yes, on occasion I've used it. I know I should not have done that. It's something I don't normally do because I am not a racist." Had Fuhrman said something like that, he would have relegated Bailey to the slag heap of history and he would not have self-destructed. Allen could have put the "N" word controversy to rest, had he done so.
At the same time, one should never say, "Some of my best friends are black," or point out that black comedians like Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor frequently used the word "nigger" in their comedy routines, as do most of the current crop of black stand-up comics on HBO and Showtime. Nor should one call attention to the liberal use of "nigga" in the lyrics composed by many popular back rappers. Those are all common talking points for racists who want to mask their bigotry.
Senator Allen, son of a famous Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins coach, has an outstanding record in public service and was considered a front runner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. His aspirations for the presidency evaporated with his self-destructive gaffes. He has shown himself to be a stupid jerk in the way he responded to the macaca, Jewish heritage, and "N" word controversies. Is Allen a racist? In his many years of public service there has never been any indication that he is a racist. A month from now, the voters of Virginia will decide whether or not they want to return a stupid jerk to the U.S. Senate.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
TRAGEDY STRIKES THE FAMILY OF A FORMER OUTSTANDING NARCOTICS OFFICER
During my professional career, I have known some really outstanding law enforcement officers who spent part or most of their careers as narcotic officers. Matt O'Connor was a California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement agent who also served as president of the California Narcotic Officers Association and as president of the International Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association. Al Stewart, a very dear friend of mine with the San Bernardino County (California) Sheriff's Department who also served as president of CNOA, and who was shot to death when, while off duty, he went to the aid of some officers who were under attack by gunfire.
There was John Nelson of the Los Angeles Police Department who, based on his former USMC elite Force Recon unit, founded this nation's first SWAT team, the model copied by the FBI and all the other agencies that formed SWAT teams. Charlie Jackson who was the director of a tri-state (New York-New Jersey-Connecticut) interagency narcotics task force and became Assistant Director of Security for the National Football League. Rick Sander of the Houston Police Department, one of the sharpest persons I've ever known, who created and taught the first officer survival training courses in Texas.
There was John Blackburn, my former partner when we were with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, who went on to become the director of a large multi-agency task force in Colorado, and later a professor at Arizona State University and full-time consultant to the Maricopa County District Attorney's office. John was also appointed by the Governor to head the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, a very prestigious position. Sheriff Ben Clark, our boss and close friend, who was a nationally recognized law enforcement innovator and inspired me to emphasize the human relations factor in my courses whenever appropriate.
And then there is Frank Miller, who served for over 34 years as a narcotics officer with the Houston Police Department. I first met Frank at a Texas Narocitc Officers Association meeting. Subsequently, he enrolled in some of my criminal justice courses. He was one of my most outstanding students ever. He gives me some undeserved credit as a teacher and I am honored that he considers me to be one of his mentors. The truth is that I learned much more from Frank than he learned from me. Frank spent the latter part of his career as an instructor with the HPD narcotics division, imparting his vast knowledge of drug enforcement investigations and tactics to officers within his agency, as well as to many officers from other police departments. Jeannine, Frank's lovely cancer-surviving wife, was also a Houston police officer, serving as a juvenile investigator for 25 years.
Why am I writing about Frank and Jeannine? Because a deep tragedy has struck their lives. Last week they were notified that Ryan, their 19 year old son, was killed in action on September 14th while on patrol in Barwanah, Iraq. Ryan, a third-generation Marine who planned to follow his parents' footsteps as a Houston police officer, lost his life just before his Marine Corps unit was scheduled to leave Iraq and return to the United States. Shit - what a bad roll of the dice. In their grief, Frank and Jeannine are very proud of Ryan, knowing that he made the supreme sacrifice while serving his country.
I am so sick and tired of hearing athletes, rock stars, and others referred to as heroes. Heroes are people who risk life and limb while trying to protect or save the lives of others. Public safety officers are heroes when they enter a burning building or confront a dangerous criminal. Even soldiers do not become heroes until they engage the enemy in combat. Heroes are made on the battlefield, not on the football field. Ryan Miller serves as a shining example of a true hero.
Despite their grief, and unlike Cindy Sheehan, Frank and Jeannine have not turned against their country. Cindy Sheehan has dishonored her son, another true hero, because her radical left-wing crusade has given aid and comfort to those who killed him and who also killed Ryan Miller. I did not personally know Ryan because I only saw him several times when he was a little boy. But like his parents, I too am very proud of Ryan. To hell with Cindy Sheehan and her ilk! God protect our troops and public safety officers!! God bless the Miller family - Frank, Jeannine, Meghan and Brandon!!!
There was John Nelson of the Los Angeles Police Department who, based on his former USMC elite Force Recon unit, founded this nation's first SWAT team, the model copied by the FBI and all the other agencies that formed SWAT teams. Charlie Jackson who was the director of a tri-state (New York-New Jersey-Connecticut) interagency narcotics task force and became Assistant Director of Security for the National Football League. Rick Sander of the Houston Police Department, one of the sharpest persons I've ever known, who created and taught the first officer survival training courses in Texas.
There was John Blackburn, my former partner when we were with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, who went on to become the director of a large multi-agency task force in Colorado, and later a professor at Arizona State University and full-time consultant to the Maricopa County District Attorney's office. John was also appointed by the Governor to head the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, a very prestigious position. Sheriff Ben Clark, our boss and close friend, who was a nationally recognized law enforcement innovator and inspired me to emphasize the human relations factor in my courses whenever appropriate.
And then there is Frank Miller, who served for over 34 years as a narcotics officer with the Houston Police Department. I first met Frank at a Texas Narocitc Officers Association meeting. Subsequently, he enrolled in some of my criminal justice courses. He was one of my most outstanding students ever. He gives me some undeserved credit as a teacher and I am honored that he considers me to be one of his mentors. The truth is that I learned much more from Frank than he learned from me. Frank spent the latter part of his career as an instructor with the HPD narcotics division, imparting his vast knowledge of drug enforcement investigations and tactics to officers within his agency, as well as to many officers from other police departments. Jeannine, Frank's lovely cancer-surviving wife, was also a Houston police officer, serving as a juvenile investigator for 25 years.
Why am I writing about Frank and Jeannine? Because a deep tragedy has struck their lives. Last week they were notified that Ryan, their 19 year old son, was killed in action on September 14th while on patrol in Barwanah, Iraq. Ryan, a third-generation Marine who planned to follow his parents' footsteps as a Houston police officer, lost his life just before his Marine Corps unit was scheduled to leave Iraq and return to the United States. Shit - what a bad roll of the dice. In their grief, Frank and Jeannine are very proud of Ryan, knowing that he made the supreme sacrifice while serving his country.
I am so sick and tired of hearing athletes, rock stars, and others referred to as heroes. Heroes are people who risk life and limb while trying to protect or save the lives of others. Public safety officers are heroes when they enter a burning building or confront a dangerous criminal. Even soldiers do not become heroes until they engage the enemy in combat. Heroes are made on the battlefield, not on the football field. Ryan Miller serves as a shining example of a true hero.
Despite their grief, and unlike Cindy Sheehan, Frank and Jeannine have not turned against their country. Cindy Sheehan has dishonored her son, another true hero, because her radical left-wing crusade has given aid and comfort to those who killed him and who also killed Ryan Miller. I did not personally know Ryan because I only saw him several times when he was a little boy. But like his parents, I too am very proud of Ryan. To hell with Cindy Sheehan and her ilk! God protect our troops and public safety officers!! God bless the Miller family - Frank, Jeannine, Meghan and Brandon!!!
Sunday, September 10, 2006
AN HONEST, BUT POLITICALLY INCORRECT POLICE CHIEF
Several hours before his subsequent capture on September 9th, fugitive murderer Rallph "Bucky" Phillips was spotted by a New York State canine trooper. When Phillips pointed a gun at him, the trooper fired a volley of shots, missing the fugitive who then fled into the woods. The morning after Bucky's capture, New York State Police Superintendent Wayne Bennett stated on the NBC Today Show that it was UNFORTUNATE the trooper's shots did not hit the fugitive. Oops - slip of the tongue - honest, but politically incorrect.
The bleeding hearts and civil libitarians are going to have a field day with this one. To those paragons of virtue, Supt. Bennett's statement came across loud and clear with only one meaning - he wanted Bucky dead, not alive! Let's be honest about it - so did every other police officer in this country. Why would police officers want Bucky brought back dead instead of alive?
Phillips, a habitual thief, escaped from a jail near Buffalo last April, shortly before he was due to be relaeased. In June, he shot and wounded a New York state trooper during a traffic stop. On August 31, he ambushed two state troopers who were staking out his former girlfriend's house, shooting them in the back. One of those troopers died, while the other is still in critical condition. Once, he promised to "splatter pig (police) meat all over Chautauqua County," and he let it be known that he would not allow himself to be taken alive.
When the police finally caught up to Bucky, he meekly surrendered. It is to the credit of the officers that they did not shoot him dowm, which they could have easily done with no witnesses around. I remember that many years ago, a couple of thugs murdered two New Jersey police officers. The killers were traced to a New York City tenement. A team of New York officers, not New Jersey officers, rushed their hideout with guns blazing, thereby executing the cop killers without giving them any chance to surrender. At the time, civil libitarians screamed like stuck pigs with accusations that those officers were a bunch of cold blooded murderers.
The police see themselves as a close knit family and whenever an officer is killed, no matter where, it is the same to them as the death of a brother or sister. So, it is natural for them to want retribution when someone takes the life of a fellow officer. Bucky not only killed one officer, but he tried to kill two others.
If Phillips is sentenced to death, he will probably sit on death row for about 10 years before the sentence is carried out, if it ever is. Even though he was politically incorrect, it was refreshing to hear Supt. Bennett's honest opinion that it was unfortunate the canine officer did not hit Phillips when he fired at him.
The bleeding hearts and civil libitarians are going to have a field day with this one. To those paragons of virtue, Supt. Bennett's statement came across loud and clear with only one meaning - he wanted Bucky dead, not alive! Let's be honest about it - so did every other police officer in this country. Why would police officers want Bucky brought back dead instead of alive?
Phillips, a habitual thief, escaped from a jail near Buffalo last April, shortly before he was due to be relaeased. In June, he shot and wounded a New York state trooper during a traffic stop. On August 31, he ambushed two state troopers who were staking out his former girlfriend's house, shooting them in the back. One of those troopers died, while the other is still in critical condition. Once, he promised to "splatter pig (police) meat all over Chautauqua County," and he let it be known that he would not allow himself to be taken alive.
When the police finally caught up to Bucky, he meekly surrendered. It is to the credit of the officers that they did not shoot him dowm, which they could have easily done with no witnesses around. I remember that many years ago, a couple of thugs murdered two New Jersey police officers. The killers were traced to a New York City tenement. A team of New York officers, not New Jersey officers, rushed their hideout with guns blazing, thereby executing the cop killers without giving them any chance to surrender. At the time, civil libitarians screamed like stuck pigs with accusations that those officers were a bunch of cold blooded murderers.
The police see themselves as a close knit family and whenever an officer is killed, no matter where, it is the same to them as the death of a brother or sister. So, it is natural for them to want retribution when someone takes the life of a fellow officer. Bucky not only killed one officer, but he tried to kill two others.
If Phillips is sentenced to death, he will probably sit on death row for about 10 years before the sentence is carried out, if it ever is. Even though he was politically incorrect, it was refreshing to hear Supt. Bennett's honest opinion that it was unfortunate the canine officer did not hit Phillips when he fired at him.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
BLACK ANTI-SEMITISM
Andrew Young, civil rights leader, former Mayor of Atlanta, and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has shown himself to be a racist, the same as his civil rights colleague, Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson. In his role as head of Working Families for Wal-Mart, Young was featured in the August 17 issue of the Los Angeles Sentinel, a weekly newspaper claiming to be the main voice of the local African-American community.
In the Sentinel article, Young made derogatory comments about ethnic inner-city grocers while responding to accusations that his employer, Wal-Mart, drove mom and pop stores out of business. He replied to those accusations by saying: "But you see, those are the people who have been overcharging us - selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables. And they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs. Very few black people own those stores."
Well, at least Young did not blame just the Jews for selling spoiled groceries at inflated prices to black folks. If you recall, some years ago, Jesse Jackson referred to Jews as "Hymies" and to New York City as "Hymietown," implying that New York was overpopulated with and controlled by Jews. It is well known that the derogatory term "hymie" is just as offensive to Jews as the term "nigger" is to blacks. Both Young and Jackson, a couple of genuine hypocrites, claim to be friends of the Jews.
Over the years, numerous public opinion surveys have revealed that blacks generally have a very low opinion of Jews. Obviously influenced by anti-Semitic sterotyping, blacks are convinced that they have been exploited by greedy Jews. They believe that Jews are inner-city absentee landlords, and that Jewish "slum lords" charge blacks higher rents while neglecting the maintenance of rental properties.
Other beliefs held by blacks are: All Jews are rich, own all the banks and pawnshops, and exploit blacks to further enrich themselves. Jewish bankers refuse to lend blacks any money without charging them exorbitant interest rates, thus leaving them to the exploitation of Jewish pawnbrokers in black neighborhoods. Jewish store owners in black neighborhoods overcharge for poor quality merchandize. And of course the belief, as espoused by Andrew Young, that Jewish grocers sell blacks spoiled food at high prices.
It is ironic that blacks represent the largest anti-Semitic group in our country. Ordinary Jews, in large numbers, stood and marched side by side with blacks during the 1960s civil rights movement. Leaders of the Jewish community were among the most vocal and active supporters of black civil rights. Have blacks forgotten that of the three civil rights workers murdered in Mississippi in 1964, two were Jews? Andrew Goodwin and Michael Schwerner, two Jewish college students, along with James Chaney, were volunteers helping to register black voters when they were killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Throughout history, Jews have been the victims of bigotry and discrimination. There were the inquisitions in Spain and other Catholic countries. There were the pogroms in Poland which led to the formation of ghettos. There was the holocaust during which six million European Jews were exterminated. (All of my grandparents disappeared into Nazi concentration camps.) Jews have always been oppressed in Muslim countries. In every country, there have been many hate evoking anti-Semitic myths. Blood libels and The Protocols of Zion are two of the worst.
Blood libels, poisonous accusations that Jews sacrifice little children of gentiles to use their blood for religious rituals, have been around since the 12th century. Muslim clerics in Egypt and the Middle East still resort to blood libels to foment hatred of Jews. THE PROTOCOLS OF THE LEARNED ELDERS OF ZION is a vicious anti-Semitic forgery which details a Jewish plot to rule the whole world. Originally disseminated in 1905 by the Russian Czar's secret police, this hoax was also disseminated by Henry Ford and Adolf Hitler to justify their anti-Semitism. It is still used in this country by Christian Identity groups like the Aryan Nations and the KKK, and by Islamists throughout the Muslim world.
Contrary to a common myth, not all Jews in America are rich, with most belonging to the middle class, and some living in poverty. For years, Jews in this country were denied employment by banks, insurance companies, and other large corporations. The Fords and Rockefellers, among other prominent Americans, were openly anti-Semitic. The hatred of Jews by the KKK equals their hatred of blacks. Klan members have a favorite saying: "A Jew is nothing but a nigger turned inside out."
Because Jews themselves have suffered so much from bigotry, they feel compelled to fight against any discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. That is why they were so prominaent in the civil rights movement. And that is why they are so prominent in the American Civil Liberties Union. Jews believe that if they expect to be free of discrimination, it is their duty to fight discrimination in all its forms. That is why, despite the prevalence of black anti-Semitism, they continue to fight against racism directed at African-Americans.
While most blacks appear to harbor strong anti-Semitic views, Jews do have some good friends among African-Americans who are thankful for the active support of the Jewish community in their fight against racism. Unfortunately, such friends are few and far between. And, with black friends like Young and Jackson, Jews don't need any enemies.
In the Sentinel article, Young made derogatory comments about ethnic inner-city grocers while responding to accusations that his employer, Wal-Mart, drove mom and pop stores out of business. He replied to those accusations by saying: "But you see, those are the people who have been overcharging us - selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables. And they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs. Very few black people own those stores."
Well, at least Young did not blame just the Jews for selling spoiled groceries at inflated prices to black folks. If you recall, some years ago, Jesse Jackson referred to Jews as "Hymies" and to New York City as "Hymietown," implying that New York was overpopulated with and controlled by Jews. It is well known that the derogatory term "hymie" is just as offensive to Jews as the term "nigger" is to blacks. Both Young and Jackson, a couple of genuine hypocrites, claim to be friends of the Jews.
Over the years, numerous public opinion surveys have revealed that blacks generally have a very low opinion of Jews. Obviously influenced by anti-Semitic sterotyping, blacks are convinced that they have been exploited by greedy Jews. They believe that Jews are inner-city absentee landlords, and that Jewish "slum lords" charge blacks higher rents while neglecting the maintenance of rental properties.
Other beliefs held by blacks are: All Jews are rich, own all the banks and pawnshops, and exploit blacks to further enrich themselves. Jewish bankers refuse to lend blacks any money without charging them exorbitant interest rates, thus leaving them to the exploitation of Jewish pawnbrokers in black neighborhoods. Jewish store owners in black neighborhoods overcharge for poor quality merchandize. And of course the belief, as espoused by Andrew Young, that Jewish grocers sell blacks spoiled food at high prices.
It is ironic that blacks represent the largest anti-Semitic group in our country. Ordinary Jews, in large numbers, stood and marched side by side with blacks during the 1960s civil rights movement. Leaders of the Jewish community were among the most vocal and active supporters of black civil rights. Have blacks forgotten that of the three civil rights workers murdered in Mississippi in 1964, two were Jews? Andrew Goodwin and Michael Schwerner, two Jewish college students, along with James Chaney, were volunteers helping to register black voters when they were killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Throughout history, Jews have been the victims of bigotry and discrimination. There were the inquisitions in Spain and other Catholic countries. There were the pogroms in Poland which led to the formation of ghettos. There was the holocaust during which six million European Jews were exterminated. (All of my grandparents disappeared into Nazi concentration camps.) Jews have always been oppressed in Muslim countries. In every country, there have been many hate evoking anti-Semitic myths. Blood libels and The Protocols of Zion are two of the worst.
Blood libels, poisonous accusations that Jews sacrifice little children of gentiles to use their blood for religious rituals, have been around since the 12th century. Muslim clerics in Egypt and the Middle East still resort to blood libels to foment hatred of Jews. THE PROTOCOLS OF THE LEARNED ELDERS OF ZION is a vicious anti-Semitic forgery which details a Jewish plot to rule the whole world. Originally disseminated in 1905 by the Russian Czar's secret police, this hoax was also disseminated by Henry Ford and Adolf Hitler to justify their anti-Semitism. It is still used in this country by Christian Identity groups like the Aryan Nations and the KKK, and by Islamists throughout the Muslim world.
Contrary to a common myth, not all Jews in America are rich, with most belonging to the middle class, and some living in poverty. For years, Jews in this country were denied employment by banks, insurance companies, and other large corporations. The Fords and Rockefellers, among other prominent Americans, were openly anti-Semitic. The hatred of Jews by the KKK equals their hatred of blacks. Klan members have a favorite saying: "A Jew is nothing but a nigger turned inside out."
Because Jews themselves have suffered so much from bigotry, they feel compelled to fight against any discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. That is why they were so prominaent in the civil rights movement. And that is why they are so prominent in the American Civil Liberties Union. Jews believe that if they expect to be free of discrimination, it is their duty to fight discrimination in all its forms. That is why, despite the prevalence of black anti-Semitism, they continue to fight against racism directed at African-Americans.
While most blacks appear to harbor strong anti-Semitic views, Jews do have some good friends among African-Americans who are thankful for the active support of the Jewish community in their fight against racism. Unfortunately, such friends are few and far between. And, with black friends like Young and Jackson, Jews don't need any enemies.
Monday, September 04, 2006
VIGILANTE JUSTICE
Within the past week, Connecticut lawyer Jonathon Edington,29, broke into a neighbor's house and stabbed Barry James,58, to death right after Edington's wife informed him their two-year old daughter said that James had molested her. James had once been arrested for DWI but had no other arrest record. No child molestation allegations were ever made against him. After the stabbing, the Edingtons claimed that James had exposed himself several times in front of his window. After Edington's release on $1,000,000 bail, his wife went to the police and filed a child mollestation complaint against the murder victim.
This is the latest example of vigilante justice - people taking the law into their own hands. In one case, a whole community seems to have been complicit in the murder of a town bully. In 1980, Ken Rex McElroy was shot to death by one or more persons while he was stitting unarmed in his truck. McElroy, a giant of a man, had intimidated and terrorized the people of Skidmore, Missouri, and the surrounding area for more than a decade. On one occasion, a Skidmore police officer was frightened off while attempting to arrest the bully. Despite many years of harassing people, McElroy was never brought to justice. His victims refused to cooperate with police and FBI investigators and the case remains unsolved to this day.
In 1984, Gary Plauche ambushed and shot Jeff Doucett in the head at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, airport while sheriff's deputies were returning Doucett from California for kidnapping and sexually abusing his ten-year old son. Plauche, who had been laying in wait, killed Doucett in front of television news cameras. Doucett, who was Jodie Plauche's karate instructor, had taken the child to California two years earlier. Gary Plauche received five years of probation for killing his son's kidnapper and molester.
Also in 1984, Bernhard Goetz, a victim of two previous muggings, shot four black youths who attempted to rob him on a New York subway. Then he walked up to one wounded mugger and told him "You don't look too bad, here's another," before shooting him again, thereby paralyzing the young man. Goetz claimed he acted in self-defense and was acquitted of attempted murder. The "Subway Vigilante" was convicted of a firearms possession charge and served eight-and-a-half months in jail. The paralyzed youth won a multi-million dollar judgement against Goetz in a subsequent civil trial.
Taking the law into one's own hands can never be justified, no matter what led to the vigilante act and no matter how lenient the courts are perceived to be with criminal defendants. In the Edington case, there is a big question - is a two-year old capable of telling her mother that she has been sexually molested? What if James did not molest the Edington child? In the "Subway Vigilante" case, a justifiable act of self-defense turmed into an unjustifiable act of vigilante justice when Goetz walked up and shot the wounded youth again.
In the Edington and Plauche cases, one can certainly understand the desire for revenge by a very angry father who believes his child has been molested. In the McElroy case, people finally took the law into their own hands after being terrorized for over ten years with no relief from the criminal justice system. After years of neglect, it is certainly understandable why nobody in Skidmore would cooperate with the criminal investigators. While all of us can empathize with Edington and Plauche, and while some of us can cheer for Goetz and the people of Skidmore, the truth is that all of these folks meeted out vigilante justice, thereby depriving James, McElroy, Doucett, and Goetz's victims of their day in court.
This is the latest example of vigilante justice - people taking the law into their own hands. In one case, a whole community seems to have been complicit in the murder of a town bully. In 1980, Ken Rex McElroy was shot to death by one or more persons while he was stitting unarmed in his truck. McElroy, a giant of a man, had intimidated and terrorized the people of Skidmore, Missouri, and the surrounding area for more than a decade. On one occasion, a Skidmore police officer was frightened off while attempting to arrest the bully. Despite many years of harassing people, McElroy was never brought to justice. His victims refused to cooperate with police and FBI investigators and the case remains unsolved to this day.
In 1984, Gary Plauche ambushed and shot Jeff Doucett in the head at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, airport while sheriff's deputies were returning Doucett from California for kidnapping and sexually abusing his ten-year old son. Plauche, who had been laying in wait, killed Doucett in front of television news cameras. Doucett, who was Jodie Plauche's karate instructor, had taken the child to California two years earlier. Gary Plauche received five years of probation for killing his son's kidnapper and molester.
Also in 1984, Bernhard Goetz, a victim of two previous muggings, shot four black youths who attempted to rob him on a New York subway. Then he walked up to one wounded mugger and told him "You don't look too bad, here's another," before shooting him again, thereby paralyzing the young man. Goetz claimed he acted in self-defense and was acquitted of attempted murder. The "Subway Vigilante" was convicted of a firearms possession charge and served eight-and-a-half months in jail. The paralyzed youth won a multi-million dollar judgement against Goetz in a subsequent civil trial.
Taking the law into one's own hands can never be justified, no matter what led to the vigilante act and no matter how lenient the courts are perceived to be with criminal defendants. In the Edington case, there is a big question - is a two-year old capable of telling her mother that she has been sexually molested? What if James did not molest the Edington child? In the "Subway Vigilante" case, a justifiable act of self-defense turmed into an unjustifiable act of vigilante justice when Goetz walked up and shot the wounded youth again.
In the Edington and Plauche cases, one can certainly understand the desire for revenge by a very angry father who believes his child has been molested. In the McElroy case, people finally took the law into their own hands after being terrorized for over ten years with no relief from the criminal justice system. After years of neglect, it is certainly understandable why nobody in Skidmore would cooperate with the criminal investigators. While all of us can empathize with Edington and Plauche, and while some of us can cheer for Goetz and the people of Skidmore, the truth is that all of these folks meeted out vigilante justice, thereby depriving James, McElroy, Doucett, and Goetz's victims of their day in court.
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