It's 12:48 on Friday September 3, 2010

The wrinkles only go where the smiles have been.

Memorial Day

I would guess that I’m “celebrating” Memorial Day much as many across the country are. I’ve got the day off work, and we’re just enjoying the day off. My daughter had a friend sleep over last night, and they are playing with the boys. Burgers and steaks are on the Jenn-Aire. It’s drizzly out, so we’re not really doing anything special outside.

I spent part of today thinking back over my Memorial Days of the past. In high school, this weekend marked the last parade and band event of the school year. We’d form at the Hermann Fine Arts Center, then parade north on 5th Street to one of the cemeteries which name escapes me at the moment. We’d play something patriotic at the cemetery, then our first trumpets would march off to echo Taps. At that, we’d disband, and go our separate ways.

I understood what the holiday was commemorating, but the significance of the events didn’t really settle with me until I was I the service. I spent just under three years in the Army. I was stationed with D Battery, 6/52 ADA, in Hardheim, Germany. It was actually West Germany, back when there was such a distinction. We were about a twenty minute flight time from the East-West border, so when the missile crews practiced getting a missile in the air in twelve minutes, it meant something. A couple of friends who I grew up with served. I still stay in touch with some of the folks I served with from 1986 to 1989. At least one of them is serving with US Army Special Forces.

Even back then, military people were dying. There were a few armed conflicts, but most of the deaths were training missions gone bad. But they were still people dying in the service of their country.

I guess this is a little more in my mind after reading about recent doings of Michael Crook, and his anti-soldier website ForsakeTheTroops. I’ll not provide the URL. He’s mainly looking for traffic, and I’m not going to give it to him.

At any rate, Crook developed his site earlier this year after he determined that our troops are overpaid. He’s got a problem with the salaries and benefits that military personnel receive, like free uniforms, free medical care, meals and housing. He thinks much of that should be done away with, and service members should be forced to pay for uniforms, housing, medical care, and equipment on their own. Not sure how he expects them to do that if you cut their pay, but that’s another post.

He’s vitriolic in his criticism of the military, claiming that most couldn’t hack it in the “real world,” wherever or whatever that might be. I wonder if he’s ever noticed how many politicians are former service members. Hmm. Now that I think about it, are most politicians living in the real world? I digress.

I also wonder if he’s considered the irony behind his position. He’s slamming the people who are guaranteeing his right to libel them. He’s said several times that he’s against the war in Iraq, and that the troops there are not fighting for any freedom for him. But the way he’s talking about the troops who did fight for his freedom is saddening. He wants to do away with all veteran’s benefits, like the VA hospitals, and presumably the funeral benefits as well (a flag, cemetery marker, and the right to a military honor detail). He’s dancing on the graves of those who died and shed blood for his right to be able to speak the way he is speaking of them.

There are many who would ask the government to shut down his website. Aside from being illegal (there’s that pesky First Amendment, you know), it wouldn’t do any good. There’s really nothing to stop him from moving to an offshore server. But shutting him down that way wouldn’t accomplish what his opponents want. It would only increase his volume as he complained about government force being used against him. Better to let him stew in the irony of his position, and let him fade into obscurity instead of extending his fifteen minutes of fame.

In a tragic sort of way, we could thank him. He daily reminds us exactly why we served.

May 30, 2005 | Filed Under General | 1 Comment 

Can some good come from his life?

Gregory Scott Johnson was convicted of breaking into of 82-year-old Ruby Hutslar’s Anderson, IN home, beating and stomping on her, then setting a fire to hide his crime in 1985. The state has said he admitted to the killing but changed his story after his conviction.

He is scheduled to be executed early Wednesday.

What good could come from his life? What about saving his sister’s life, with a partial liver transplant? His attorney filed for clemency in part because Johnson’s blood type matches that of his sister, who needs a liver transplant. The attorney wants more time to check for compatibility.

It’s up to Gov. Mitch Daniels now. The Indiana Parole Board voted unanimously Friday against Johnson’s request.

There are other issues to the appeal.

The state attorney general’s office took no position on the reprieve request, but said Johnson was clearly guilty and that his death sentence should be carried out.

Johnson’s attorneys argue that he should be granted clemency on several grounds. Among other things, they said his case was not fully reviewed by the federal courts because an original appeal request was filed one day late. They also say prosecutors did not turn over certain evidence to defense attorneys before trial.

Michelle Kraus, one of Johnson’s attorneys, said her client’s blood type matches his sister’s. She said that could make his liver compatible with Otis, but more time was needed to explore medical and ethical questions about such a transplant.

“He is trying to do something good,” she said. “He has struggled to find good in his life.”

Julie Woodard, Hutslar’s great niece, said she did not wish any harm to Johnson’s sister. But if Johnson were allowed to donate the liver, she said, “He is going to be remembered more as a hero for saving his sister than for this brutal murder.”

I understand where the victim’s niece’s comment comes from. But shouldn’t this man have a last chance to have some good come from his life? Yes, part of the role of the penal system is punishment. But part of the role is rehabilitation, and trying to turn the offender into a contributing member of society.

For that matter, should a person be remembered for the horror they inflicted, or for the good they did? If Johnson is unquestionably and clearly guilty of murder, then yes, execute him. But if there’s any doubt that he personally committed the murder, then leave him in prison for the rest of his life. But let him do something good.

This brings up a bigger ethical question about capital punishment. What if another offender wants to donate their organs? I’m pretty sure the lethal injection cocktail would render most of the organs useless. Playing devil’s advocate here a bit, but why let those organs and tissue go to waste? Is there a way to put them to use? Would anyone want them? Thousands of people die every year waiting for organ donations. Yes, the US only executes a few hundred criminals each year. But those few hundred could save twice as many lives.

May 20, 2005 | Filed Under Law & Order | Leave a Comment 

“I have never believed that he did anything”

There were so many fiber matches between the defendant’s household and the victims that it was statistically impossible for the
victims not to have been in the defendant’s home and cars.

But 4 witnesses saw the last murder victim up to two days after the defendant allegedly threw his body off a bridge.

Five bloodstains had been found in the station wagon driven by the defendant. Prosecutors claimed that the blood droplets matched in type and enzyme to the blood of victims.

The police sketch artist who testified said that none of the dozens of suspects that she was asked to sketch looked anything like the defendant.

The defendant’s alibi was shredded: he said he was headed to a non-existent address to see someone he had never met before and who was never found.

The medical examiner was unable to establish the time frame for the death of the last victim, and in fact, didn’t even declare it to be a homicide until the trial.

The killings stopped after the defendant was arrested. Or did they? Some say another twenty murders that could have been the work of the same person occurred after the defendant was arrested.

In January of 1982, Wayne Bertram Williams was found guilty for the murder of Jimmy Ray Payne and Nathaniel Cater. He is currently serving two life sentences. After his conviction for those two murders, Atlanta authorities “administratively cleared” over two dozen other homicides.

But was he guilty? Dekalb County Police Chief Louis Graham doesn’t think so. “After Wayne Williams was arrested, there was this decision by some people to close the cases and I have never been one to espouse that kind of investigation or paint that kind of broad brush,” Graham said. “I have never believed that he did anything.”

Graham is having his cold-case squad re-examine four of the “administratively cleared” cases, to see what can be discovered 20 years later.

Here’s an excellent summary of the case at CrimeLibrary.com. Reading some of what happened back then makes me shake me head, knowing what I do about investigative techniques now. For instance, at least one of the bodies was covered with a wool blanket. What was some of the key evidence at trial? Fibers. Hmm. “Well, if your 12-year-old son isn’t back by tomorrow, you be sure to give us a call.” And the Georgia court system left a little to be desired. Should be quite interesting to follow.

May 9, 2005 | Filed Under Law & Order | Leave a Comment 

Thinking of others

There was a fatal fire at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio last month. A rental house went up in flames, killing a renter and two guests. One of the renters, who was out of town that weekend, was so overcome by grief that he took some time off from school.

Then his classmates went to work. They wanted to help, but they knew their friend had been inundated with offers of clothes, food and shoulders to cry on. So they gave him something else: a piece of his life back.

May 8, 2005 | Filed Under General | 1 Comment 

Professor James Starrs digs up another one

In this CBS News story, Professor Starrs is called on to determine if a man was murdered three years ago, or if he really did have a heart attack. Sad story, but interesting to read more about Starrs.

May 8, 2005 | Filed Under Law & Order | Leave a Comment 

Updates: SWCS Levy and Identity Theft

SWCS levy
The SWCS levy passed. Out of 34,056 votes cast, there were 17,877 for and 16,179 against. It passed by 1,698 votes, or not quite 5 percent, which is hardly a mandate. The Dispatch reports that only about 41 percent of eligible South-Western voters came to the polls for that vote, which is sadly better than double the turnout of 17 percent countywide. That means that out of just over 83,000 voters, about 2 percent decided that you were going to pay more taxes for schools in the SW City School District.

Choices4SWCS has already said that they’re working on a counter-proposal that would include a 3-mil property tax levy and a .75 percent income tax. According to Choices founder Larry Mitchell, that proposal would raise more than the 9.7 mil levy, and spread the load more equitably.

Most of the school levies passed in Franklin County; the proposed repeal of the smoking ban (Issue 2) did not. What’s so disappointing to me is that only 17 percent of the eligible voters in Franklin County turned out. If we’ve learned nothing else after the last two presidential elections, it should have been that every vote counts. How many people who didn’t vote are going to be griping about rising taxes in the next year?

Official Identity Theft
Ohio HB 48, introduced by Jim Hughes (R-22), and co-sponsored by 51 representatives and 18 Senators, seeks to clarify section 2913.49 of the ORC, and says in part that any law enforcement agency wishing to use personal identifying information of a living or dead individual must obtain written or oral consent from the individual or their estate or family.

The bill was originally designed to increase the penalty for stealing an elderly person’s personal identifying information, but after the ruckus created by Miami County Prosecutor Gary Nasal’s use of an innocent girl’s personal identifying information in a case against a strip club, the clarifying language was added.

May 6, 2005 | Filed Under General | Leave a Comment 

California Wants to Do It Themselves

Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, has come up with an initiative to take on the task of securing California’s border with Mexico. He calls for creating an agency called the California Border Patrol.

CBP would address “the supply and the demand side, both the employers who support illegal immigrants and the illegals who come across the border. The initiative is comprehensive, statewide and uniform. I looked for the common theme. Both sides say, ‘Let’s enforce the law,’” said Haynes.

Google news search here and here.

It sounds like the right plan. Secure the border. Arrest those crossing illegally, and charge companies who employ illegal immigrants. Until you dry up the demand, you won’t be able to shut off the supply. Hmm. I wonder if that might apply to the War on Drugs?

Perhaps, just like the Minutemen of old, the Minutemen of today are starting to make a difference that will grow. One can hope.

May 5, 2005 | Filed Under Law & Order | Leave a Comment 

The Boys (and Girls) of Summer

What is it about little league baseball that so moves people? This year I have a seven-year-old son in coach-pitch baseball; his nine-year-old sister in slow-pitch softball, and their six-year-old brother in t-ball. We’re spending a lot of time at the ball fields this year!

Now, I’m not a huge fan of baseball. I’ve been known to describe baseball as two minutes of excitement crammed into two and half hours. Years ago, if I followed anyone, it was the Reds, but that was back when Johnny Bench still played, and people still said nice things about Pete Rose. These days, I have little clue who the big names are on any teams. I have been following things enough to know about the expansion teams, especially since Adam (my seven-year-old) plays for the Devil Rays.

But I’ve noticed something as I sit and watch the parents at practices and games. People who aren’t passionate about much in their lives become screaming, dedicated fans. It’s not always because their son or daughter is playing, either. I’ve seen people at some of the games who don’t have any family members involved in any team. Where our kids play, at the West Jefferson Youth Athletic Association, the three fields are surrounded by house, and it’s not at all uncommon to see the people who live there sitting out in their back yards watching the games. It’s neat to see that, especially when you realize that attendance at Columbus Clippers games (the minor league affiliate of the Yankees) has been decreasing over the last few years, slowly but surely. (They’re going to fix that with a new ballpark though.)

And I’ve noticed something about me, as well. Except for a couple of seasons of church-league softball about five years ago, I hadn’t played in probably fifteen years. My little league career was mercifully short due to lack of effort on my part. But when my kids are playing, and I’ve got a glove on my hand helping out during practice, I tend to forget I’m frighteningly close to forty. I’ll start spouting all sorts of batting and fielding advice, and I have no idea where I’m getting it. Happily, my kid’s coaches tolerate my occasional well-intended suggestions. (I’ve promised myself not to be the parent from hell.) But there’s something about the game when you’ve got family playing, or even when you don’t, and it’s just kids having fun. Maybe that’s it. Maybe it’s still fun at this stage because it’s still just a game.

May 5, 2005 | Filed Under General | 1 Comment 

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