* Today's LA Times contains a powerful story about a grieving husband, whose wife died in one of our nation's patented gun massacres, and the criminal defense lawyer representing the killer, who united over the criminal defense lawyer's request for justice against corrupt "jailhouse snitches." This is a beautifully written article and provides the proper type of information to allow us to understand how, too often, DA offices are corrupted through these types of maneuvers, and how people are wrongly accused. In this case, there was no doubt about the perpetrator as it was an open and obvious gun massacre. But the widower began to realize there was a whole lot of injustice underneath and in the halls of justice, and felt he had a duty to help the lawyer who was fighting for others' lives. One thing I found interesting was the "meet the new boss, same as the old boss," where a DA who was definitely part of the scandal received a promotion after Todd Spitzer beat the odious William Rackauckus, the long-serving, highly partisan and ultimately corrupt DA (in my not humble opinion), while the criminal defense lawyer saw, quite properly, that Spitzer, too, is a player, though definitely preferable to Rackauckus. The other interesting thing is how Kamala Harris and her successor, Xavier Beccera, both players, swept the OC DA office's jailhouse snitch scandal under the rug. That is how players play.
* This is important historical news, though I am not sure many care about the details anymore. John aka Ivan Demjanjuk was a low level guard at a Nazi death camp who, in the 1980s, was wrongly accused of being "Ivan the Terrible" at the camp. I had sympathy for the fellow because he was old and already growing feeble when first arrested, and had entered the US as part of the type of "Operation Paperclip" programs our nation engaged in (yes, in American culture, one has to have seen "Captain America: Winter Soldier" to even learn about the name of that operation), which went well beyond recruiting Nazi scientists. My take was, Demjanjuk lived an uneventful and innocuous life here, after a life in Europe where he was simply swept up by events beyond his control. This is not Dr. Mengele or Goering. This was not Richard Gehlen, who was a leading SS Official who our nation later helped install as head of the military of the then West Germany. My position on Demjajuk, of course, put me at opposite poles with the increasingly odious Simon Weisenthal Center, for which I say, I would welcome their hatred of me. Anyway, this new evidence shows Demjanjuk was likely lying about whether he was at a particularly horrible death camp, Sobibor. Demjanjuk was still merely a guard, and not a leader there. Demjanjuk had been arrested again, convicted, and sentenced, for being a guard at Sobibor. He eventually died never seeing his adopted homeland, the US, again. I am less surprised about this New revelation than the SWC because I had always believed Demanjuk was either lying or unable to recall, due to feebleness, whether he was at Sobibor at any given time in those war years. There was other evidence I found persuasive. This new photographic evidence is simply more reason to believe Demjanjuk was at Sobibor, but it still shows he was not in charge. Yes, I am falling into "They were only following orders," but I also think at some point justice turns into revenge for these historically cataclysmic crimes. And, again, anyone familiar with Operation Paperclip programs, again, much more than recruiting scientists, where top Nazis were not only spared, but put into positions of power for our nation and in West Germany, should be cautious about beating up on guards who lived decent lives for decades after that world war.
* Interesting how Wells Fargo executives can commit massive fraud and not lose their right to vote. But hold up a liquor store and get $800 in cash and booze, well, so long voting rights.
* This story about the recruitment process for Kobe Bryant is amazing. Then Clippers' coach Bill Fitch essentially talked Kobe out of considering the Clippers in 1996. Even then, Fitch and other execs knew how bad Sterling was as an owner. Heck, I knew then how Sterling used the Clippers' losses to lower his overall taxes from his vast real estate holdings. The Clippers were bad on purpose during most of those years, and he paid very little to coaches, executive officers, and the like, and players knew they would be nickeled and dimed, in relative terms, compared to other teams, starting with the famed Lakers. Oh, and for anyone who calls Kobe a "rapist," you may wish to read this, this, this, this, this, this, and this, and maybe look at the intersectionality between racism and sexism, and, further, check your (I am assuming you are likely white if you think Kobe is a rapist) white privilege at the door. That criminal case never should have been brought, and it was best left to the civil tort system. Want to stand up against male violence against women? Keep the focus on Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, and even people like Clinton and Trump, for starters. The Kobe sexual assault case was far more murky and, while nobody will know what exactly happened, seasoned prosecutors have said it was not a criminal case that should have been brought. In other words, a little more humility than calling a guy who was largely exemplary (he had an affair with a trainer at one point near the time of that incident, but was a monk on the road) a rapist. Oh, and that apology? Anyone who believes that is an admission needs comprehension skill lessons, and does not have the first understanding of how these are crafted to be giving something to everyone, and all Kobe gave the accuser was a nod to her version of events--while making clear he thought the encounter was consensual.
* And yes, the title of this post is an homage to Simon & Garfunkel's first album.
