Just my Opinion

I am not obsessed I am Incensed

2011-07-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

I think if I hear "move on" one more time I will explode. There is a group think going on in which individuals believe that anyone boycotting or complaining about Florida vs Casey Anthony is obsessed or has no life. While I am sure that there are some that fit that description, not all do.

There is a frustration building with citizens at the growing number of child murders, neglect, and sickening habit of "burying the tragedy" and moving on. The cost of this behavior is that those individuals with various psychosis's in communities read this as willingness to "move on" and "forget" and disgard their children like trash.

Some have stated that Caylee's Law is just a knee jerk reaction and can serve no good purpose. I say have you read the details? Laws that are developed to protect children are not a waste of time and not as some think unneccesary. If Caylee's law had been in place, perhaps her family would have reported her missing sooner than 31 days. If they had, there would have been forensic evidence toward cause of death.

A recent case "Emma Leigh Barker" could be called a copy cat of the Caylee Anthony case. Am I going to say that Barkers mother knew about Caylee and copied the case, no but strange isnt it? The point is children are being murdered at an alarming rate. Am I angry, yes....am I going to "move on" , no..

So for those who choose to return to the sheep mentality living...more power to you. I personally will be shouting from the roof tops "STOP KILLING CHILDREN AND START PROTECTING THEM!!!!!"

Casey Anthony back in News and Begging for Money

2010-03-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

By Bill Walsh
Bedford Minuteman
Posted Mar 24, 2010 @ 12:06 PM
Bedford, Mass. — One of the problems of the 24/7 health care bill coverage over the past few weeks is that it’s pushed other stories off the front page, and some of them ought to have seen the light of day. There was a significant development in the Caylee Anthony murder story, for example, and it merits our attention regardless of how health care turns out.

Caylee Anthony, you may recall, was the cute tot in Florida who disappeared and was later found murdered in 2008. Her mother, who had not reported little Caylee missing for over a month, was indicted for first-degree murder shortly thereafter and now sits in prison awaiting trial.

The new development in the case was that mom Casey Anthony appeared before a judge last week claiming that she was out of money and needed the public to start paying her defense costs. Where had she been getting the money she used from 2008-2010, the court asked? The shocking answer was ABC News.

It turns out that ABC News had paid Casey Anthony $200,000 (that’s nearly a quarter of a million dollars) while her daughter was still missing. According to both ABC network officials and Anthony’s defense attorney, the money was for “exclusive rights to reproduce family photographs and videotape of Caylee.”

Well, ABC certainly got their money’s worth. On Sept. 5, 2008, the day Casey Anthony was arrested for child neglect and endangerment (authorities hadn’t found Caylee’s body yet), the network did a special segment on “Good Morning America” featuring the photos, and broadcast a full-hour of them later that same day on “20/20.” Since that time, ABC has done at least 30 separate stories on the case.

“Never-Before-Seen Images of Casey Anthony and Missing Florida Toddler” said the promotional spots for ABC programming. And the ABC Web site gloated, “Intimate, never-before-seen pictures and home videos of the girl and her young mother offer a rare window into Caylee’s life.” What ABC kept secret, however, was the fact that they paid Caylee’s accused murderer hundreds of thousands of dollars for those pictures.

There are at least three things wrong with such behavior. The first is the maudlin, saccharine, overly-emotional and intimate nature of what ABC News first bought and then trotted out for public display. Pictures of a happy toddler and her mom are meant to arouse our sympathy or anger – appeal to our sense of the tragic – in order to boost ratings. I don’t know if more people watched ABC programs because they had “exclusive” and touching photos of little Caylee in happier times, but I’ll bet there were some. Broadcasting those images at all was a pretty sleazy thing to do.

Paying for them (and then keeping that fact a secret until years later) was another. I don’t know if it was criminal. I do know that it was unethical. ABC News violated at least six of the ethical guidelines for news reporting by paying for those pictures, and although other news organizations have done so from time to time, that doesn’t make it right.

In 1912, the New York Times got an exclusive interview with the telegraph operator of the Titanic – for $1,000. The Hearst newspaper company paid the legal fees for Bruno Richard Hauptmann (the accused kidnapper in the Lindberg baby case) so that they could get exclusive stories from inside the defense. Life magazine paid some of America’s first astronauts for their cooperation in stories during the space race of the 1960s.

More recently, CNN may have paid $10,000 to one of the passengers who helped stop a Nigerian man from blowing up a plane (again, technically not for his interview, but for his cell-phone photo). The list goes on. These days networks ostensibly pay people for the exclusive rights to their photographs of newsworthy events. They think it’s better or more ethical than paying them for their stories. To my mind, it’s a distinction without a difference. They’re really paying them for information and interviews, regardless of whether they claim it’s for the photographs.

“Don’t pay for news items,” is part of the professional journalists’ code of ethics, but it seems that many news organizations think they’ve found a way around that by buying “photographs.”

And to make matters worse, ABC not only paid for pictures they used in an inappropriate way, but the person they bought them from was the accused criminal herself. Yes, Casey Anthony is innocent until proven guilty, I know. But can you imagine what it would be like if news organizations paid accused murderers for their stories (or, ahem, “pictures” – of the victim, no less) in every case?

“The idyllic boyhood of John Wilkes Booth! What went wrong? An exclusive series of pictures on the Walsh News Network! See the assassin as no one has ever seen him before! Watch our exclusive jailhouse interview!”

Something is wrong here.

Buying news is a sleazy thing to do, regardless of how many news organizations do it.

And we, the public, ought to know about it when it occurs, because (justifiably) it colors not only that news story itself, but everything that network tells us from now on.

Ethics still matter – to many of us who watch the news, at least, if not to the people who report it.

Bill Walsh is a Billerica resident and regular contributor to the Billerica Minuteman. E-mail him at bmhswalsh@aol.com.

Copyright 2010 Bedford Minuteman. Some rights reserved

2010-03-30T08:12:00.001-07:00

Yet another example of the effects of school bullying. In this incident the lines of victim-offender are blurred. The victim of the bullying chose to take her own life instead of taking others, as society has seen other bullied students do.

"Even in death, Phoebe Princewas bullied. On a memorial page dedicated to the Massachusetts teen who had recently committed suicide, Facebook members left taunting comments that had to be removed."

" Nine teens have been charged in the "unrelenting" bullying of a teenage girl from Ireland who killed herself after being raped and enduring months of torment by classmates in person and online, a prosecutor said Monday.

Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel said 15-year-old Phoebe Prince of South Hadley was stalked and harassed nearly constantly from September until she killed herself Jan. 14. The freshman had recently moved to western Massachusetts from Ireland.

"The investigation revealed relentless activities directed toward Phoebe to make it impossible for her to stay at school. The bullying for her was intolerable," Scheibel said.

Six teens - four girls and two boys - face charges including statutory rape, assault, violation of civil rights resulting in injury, criminal harassment, disturbance of a school assembly and stalking. Three younger girls face delinquency charges.

Scheibel said the harassment began in September. She said school officials knew about the bullying, but none will face criminal charges.

While making the transition to a new town and a new country, Prince, officials believe, became the target of intense cyber-bullying." (CBS News, 2010)

The most horrifying aspect of this incident is that teachers were aware of the harrasment and had observed some of the incidents. Officials could not file charges on teachers involved as school policy was unclear on preventative measures and teachers responsibilty in these situations. In light of the recent revalations of the effects of bullying on teens, how could this be so? Across the counrty schools annouced that awareness of bullying and its dangers when the killing of 15 people by Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Kiebold, 17, occured in a Denver high school. Since then otherincidents similar to the one in Denver have made clear the responsibility of teachers in these matters.

Phoebe Prince went to teachers six times, and still the bullying persisted.
Siting this incident and the incident of 13-year-old Megan Meier, who killed herself after being harassed on MySpace by a neighbor's mother, Massachusetts House lawmakers have unanimously approved a bill designed to clamp down on school bullies. One amendment requiring teachers, nurses, custodians and other school workers to report all incidents of bullying to the school principal and a second amendment requiring anti-bullying training for teachers. Considering all the warning signs have been there for a number of years, this effort comes a little too late for Phoebe and her family.

When will society stop standing in the shadows, wringing their hands, saying "how could this happen?" We know how it happens and we as adults are just as responsible as the juveniles that do the bullying. As long as we do not protect the weak and vulnerable, we should be standing in the courtroom recieving a minimum charge of neglect, or endangering the welfare of a minor.

Personally I have been treated with disdain when speaking out toward juveniles acting in an aggressive manner towards my daughter. Parents take a 'how dare you accuse' attitude and juveniles grin with delight behind their parents back. Does this bother me? No, as long as I am taking a stand, defending the abused, and confronting those that allow it, I am making a difference. Often people will aquaint my bold appraoch as an interfering parent. If protecting ANY juvenile from a bully is interering, well I guess I am.

The point is, how many dead children will be enough, how many times will we stand back and say "how could this happen?" How many times will we chastize a parent for confronting bullies? How many times will we allow teachers to hide behind policy, or lack there of?

Personally, I am not willing to sacrifice any children. I will sacrifice some social standing to confront bullys and their parents to save one child though. So bullys beware, I am watching and I will oust you, and your parents if they are present for your victimzing acts

Maybe This Will Help Mr. Baez with the Photo Issue

2009-02-06T18:23:00.000-08:00

FEDERAL SON OF SAM LEGISLATION
Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, last week we debated the Juvenile Justice Act. We had a good number of provisions, especially dealing with guns, gun shows, and gun sales that were very controversial. I did not speak last week on an amendment I offered to the juvenile justice bill that became a part of that and is now a provision that has been passed by the Senate. I want to take a few minutes today to describe the amendment I offered and its importance.

Some while ago, I was watching a television program. It was about a serial killer, a man who killed four women and one man in Gainsville, FL. The program described the book this serial killer has written: ``The Making of a Serial Killer: The Real Story of the Gainsville Murders in the Killer's Own Words.''

I thought: That cannot be the case. If you murder four or five people and are sent to prison, you lose your right to vote and you lose certain rights. Do you have a right to write a book and profit from it? This television program described the dilemma.

There was a murderer in New York who was described as the ``Son of Sam'' murderer many years ago. He was sent to prison and wrote a book in order to profit from his murder. In other words, a violent murderer goes to prison and spends his time writing a book to sell to the public to make money. Is that a right prisoners have in this country after committing a violent crime? Is there a constitutional right to profit from a violent crime in America? I do not think so.

The State of New York passed a statute, the ``Son of Sam'' statute, and the Federal Government passed a statute saying that the proceeds from a book written by a violent offender who is sent to prison cannot be retained by the violent criminal.

That was appealed and went to the U.S. Supreme Court. Guess what. The U.S. Supreme Court said: No, you may not prohibit the expressive writings of a violent criminal, because that is a violation of the first amendment. I am truncating the Supreme Court decision, but essentially the Supreme Court invalidated the ``Son of Sam'' laws. The Federal law has never been enforced, to my knowledge, and the State laws have been invalidated.

So we had a circumstance where, on the program I watched, this serial killer was interviewed. The woman with whom he apparently is romantically involved, who is one of the sponsors of this book, was interviewed. It raised the question in my mind: Shouldn't we correct this issue and these statutes so the next time this goes to the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court will not overturn the law?

I wrote a piece of legislation, after consultation with some constitutional lawyers, that I think does solve this issue and will say to any prospective author, some disgusting human being who murders four young girls and a man in Gainsville, FL, who now says, I want to write a book to describe the detail, the horrible detail of these murders: You can write until you are dead, but you will never ever profit, you will never profit by writing the accounts of your murders and then sell a book and
keep the money. Not just you, but your agent, those to whom you assign the profits--you will not be able to reap the rewards of telling the gruesome, dirty tales of your sordid criminal lives.

The juvenile justice bill which passed last Thursday has an amendment in it that closes the loophole and rewrites the Federal law. It says that any individual convicted of any Federal or State felony or violent misdemeanor, if that convicted defendant tries to sell his book, movie rights, or other expressive work or any property associated with the crime--a bloody glove, murder weapon, photos and so on--whose value has been enhanced by that crime, then the U.S. attorney will make a motion to
forfeit all proceeds that would have been received by the defendant or the defendant's transferee--spouse, partner, friends, and so on.

Is this important? I think it is. I think we ought to have a Federal statute, and if the Supreme Court said the ``Son of Sam'' statute is not valid, we ought to have a Federal statute that says to anybody in this country: If you commit a violent crime and you go to prison, do not expect to sit in prison and write and profit by publishing a book about your crime.

I offered that in the Senate last Thursday, and I was joined by my colleague, Senator EVAN BAYH. It has now passed the Senate, and my hope is my colleagues in the House will see fit to keep this in the Juvenile Justice Act, and it will go to the President and be signed into law.

(The remarks of Mr. DORGAN pertaining to the submission of S. Res. 105 are located in today's RECORD under ``Submissions of Concurrent and Senate Resolutions.'')
END

The "Son of Sam" Law in Florida is codified at F.S. 944.512.
In Rolling v. State ex rel. Butterworth, 741 So. 2d 627 (1999, FL 1st DCA), Appellee State, pursuant to Fla. Stat. ch. 944.512, sought imposition of a lien against property in an action against appellant, convicted criminal, especially seeking proceeds from sale of a book containing accounts of the crimes for which appellant was convicted. Appellants argued that Fla. Stat. ch. 960.291(7) violated U.S. Const. amend. I and was, therefore, unconstitutional both on its face and as applied to each of them. Under the plain language of the statute the lien encompassed appellant's art, autographs, and proceeds from them, as well as proceeds from his book. Appellant publisher was receiving benefits on appellant offender's behalf and thus the lien attached to the proceeds she garnered from sale of property. Appellant offender could not transfer his property to appellant publisher to avoid the lien.

In 1997 the State of Florida sued convicted serial killer Danny Rolling and his fiancé/freelance writer Sondra London for the $21,000 the two received from the sale of Rolling's story in books and magazine articles. Based on Florida's Son of Sam Law, also known as the Civil Restitution Lien and Crime Victims’ Remedy Act of 1994, London was ordered to turn over the money to the state. London appealed but the decision was affirmed.

All information and text found at Congressional Chronicle software (C) National Cable Satellite Company 2009

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:q-x6EfoG89QJ:www.c-spanarchives.org/congress/%3Fq%3Dnode/77531%26id%3D8638577+Do+Son+of+Sam+laws+apply+in+Florida&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=17&gl=us

2009-02-06T17:55:00.000-08:00

Unbelieveable this Circus. Allegations of Baex passing Casey contaband in court, looking for a Patsy in Casey's many lovers, selling Caylees photos. Once they dropped the investigation into Baez's inappropriate behavior he took it as a sign he was free to act like a complete idiot!

She can not answer the questions Zanny!

2009-02-04T15:39:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading the: Amended Notice of Service of Interrogatories presented to Casey Anthony’s lawyer. This is essential a list of questions that Casey Anthony has 30 days to answer in regards to Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez’s lawsuit filed against Casey Anthony. The questions there make it obvious to anyone why Casey’s lawyer will not let her answer them; they will force her to tell the truth.

As I was reading the questions that referred to Casey’s statements to police so light bulbs came on in this old noggin. Question 9 refers to a description Casey gave of “Zanny’s” car. As it appears on official file:
9. Before you told law enforcement officers that Caylee was with to Zenaida Gonzalez the last time you saw her, were you aware that a to Zenaida Gonzalez had been to Sawgrass Apartments and was driving a car with New York tags?

Notice the end of the question; it refers to New York tags. Please tell me Baez’s little trip to New York was not because Casey said this. This is where the whole line of statements from Casey on jailhouse video referring to “Zanny” having family in New York. Bingo! Remember the jailhouse video of Casey and her parents when they said Baez was in New York and Casey said it was on business for her. Good grief this is nuts. This girl (Casey) spent the whole month Caylee was missing putting this fairy tale together with things she picked up here and there. It is as obvious as the nose on Barbara Streisand’s nose.

Question 11 refers to Casey’s, Counter Suit states that “Zanny” had 2 children, then in question 12 it says that Casey’s Motion to Stay or Defer Defendants Deposition states that Casey told police that “Zanny” was 24 and had no kids. Question 12 ends with “which part is true and which part is not. Duh, none of it is true and it does not make Baez’s and motions he continually files look very professional.

Question 14 states that “the Counter-Claim states that Zenaida Gonzalez is a common name in the Hispanic community and there are 20 listings in the OC Florida area alone. If so what phone book did you use”? I seem to recall when the police interviewed Casey she was adamant about the hyphen between Fernandez and Gonzalez. Is the hyphen not important now?

This mockery of the justice system has got to cease. What right does Baez have or any lawyer for that matter, to act in this idiotic, shameful, non-professional manner. I understand that he has to defend his client to the fullest but this is ridiculous. Even lay persons are shaking their heads in amazement of the audacity of this man. The blatant Bugs Bunny like routine this lawyer displays with his big toothy grin is sickening.

I can not believe that the investigation into this mans actions was dropped. If the common citizen can pick out the grammar school mistakes he makes and comment on his shameful display of affection with Casey Anthony why can the Big Guns not see this? Wearing rose colored glasses perhaps. Maybe they, like many, do not want their name tied to Casey Anthony. It is similar to Typhoid Mary thing I guess. Once you connect, it is goodbye Charlie.

Sounds Familiar

2009-02-03T04:38:00.000-08:00

Why when it is so obvious what these mothers motives are is is so hard for people to believe that Casey Anthony killed her daughter.

Exclusionary Rule

2009-02-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

To view speakers notes click menu and follow 'Exclusionary Rule' link

Finding Treasure

2009-02-02T15:56:00.001-08:00

I had a day like I have not had in a long time. For the mere sum of ten dollars I purchased a February 21, 1964 issue of Life magazine that features Lee Harvey Oswald and a 1933 issue of True Detective magazine featuring the famous DuBois Slaying. I have framed them in nice frames for safe keeping and they now adorn my office wall. If you knew how much I love researching crime you would understand my excitement. I feel like the kid who wanted the Red Rider BB gun for Christmas and finally got it.

Games the Anthony's Play

2009-01-31T15:57:00.000-08:00

This sickens me. They post this stuff and anyone who follows the case knows that Jose Baez is the reason the Anthony's do not have the body.
Caylees Myspace site post for Saturday:

January 31, 2009 - Saturday
Caylee Marie Public Memorial Information
Caylee Marie Public Memorial
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 10a.m.First Baptist Church, OrlandoMore information to follow
*Date may change due to the fact the family still does not have Caylee's remains yet. This is a Tentative Date.
4:19 PM
0 Comments
User has disabled new comments

I will bet dollars to donuts they will make an annoucement that they are going to procede with the public memorial without the body. Cindy Anthony did not want a public memorial anyway, what better way to manipulate the siutation. She can always blame someone else for the lack of a proper public memorial and get her own way to boot. She also gets a hit in for Casey cause she is not going to be allowed to attend Caylees funeral either.

As far as George, I do not feel at all bad, sound harsh? Think about this, if the Psychiatist deems him unfit to testify at Casey's trial, what a plan aye? Makes sense to me considering when he was texting Law Enforcement that the sleeping pills were working and he was getting real sleepy, police walked into the hotel room to find him fine and alert texting away. I find the suicide attempt all part of the Anthony family game. Mark my words this suicide attempt will play into the trial for the defense.

Casey's recent court room appeareance, a game she is playing with Baez to laugh at the press and public. They see what they can do to manipulate the press and then laugh as they watch it play out. Just recall the comments that Casey made about her and Baez getting a good laugh at the press coverage tapes. Personally I find her actions in court similar to those of a spoiled child.

Casey: I don't want to go to court!
Casey: If I have to go I am not wearing that jail suit!
Casey in court: Don't I look smart in my suit, I could be Jose's assistant. If the suit don't fit you must aquit!

Like I have said Jose Baez and casey Anthony are making a mockery of the justice system with their games and idiotic motions in court. Asking for access to the crime scene after refusing it early in the process. Asking for special privilages like Casey is some grande Dutchess that deserves the red carpet regardless of the fact that she is a narcicistic baby killer. There I have said it, I think she did it! They are all involved in this cruel murder of an innocent baby. In my opinion, Jose Baez is just as bad for acting like an idiot when he knows the truth too. I realize everyone deserves a lawyer and a day in court but Baez does not need to act like a friggen moron and mock the system. He is the type of lawyer that gives lawyers a bad name.

Poem for Bloggers Everywhere

2009-01-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

Blogging is the newest craze,
It gives us sweet release.
It lets us tell our global fans
What has disturbed our peace.

We blog about the latest news
And things trapped in our head
We sometimes blog about some things
That should be left unsaid

The comments that we leave for others
Can show some disrespect
Yet on we blog without a thought
To our words and their effect.

So keep in mind your words of wit
Upon your blogs so neat
They may return upon this day
To bite you in the seat!

Babette 2009

George Anthony and the Women in his Life

2009-01-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

I wanted to reflect a little on the recent developments in the Caylee Anthony case. Although I will reserve my opinions on the actions of the entire family I feel I have to comment on the father, George Anthony. January 22 George Anthony allegedly attempted suicide in a hotel room and was committed to a facility for observation.

George Anthony is a retired police officer from Ohio. Given this fact and the fact that he has endured much emotional upheaval since the discovery of his Granddaughters disappearance I am not surprised at these events. The reason I mention his occupation is one has to account for his experience in these types of cases.

In light of the recent release of 300+ documents in the investigation of his Granddaughters death Mr. Anthony must have had some terrible revelations regarding how this tragedy occurred. This coupled with his testimony in the Grand Jury hearing into his daughters arrest has got to be an almost unbearable feeling of hopelessness.

One has to give credit to Mr. Anthony’s moral values in that he testified to things that did not shed a good light on his daughter, but non-the-less were his version of what he believed to be the truth of the circumstance. He has stood dutifully by his daughter, even through her narcissism, temper tantrums and obvious lies. It is hard to conceive how he has not collapsed before now.

It has been obvious, through evidence released, media coverage of George, Cindy, Lee and Casey that if any one has been at all honest it has been George. I am sure he has held back some things that could have been helpful but this probably only added to his mental downfall.

In viewing Cindy Anthony’s many interviews with the press it is obvious that she is the dominant person in this family. I am not trying to degrade anyone for their personality traits I am just making an observation based on her public treatment of her family. One has to wonder if this trait of female dominance has been passed to Casey. This dominance in no way says anything about George Anthony’s capabilities. It just says that Cindy Anthony was in control.

To the point of this blog, this entire bizarre story is the direct result of the actions of one person, Casey Anthony. If she killed her child it started there. If by some weird chance Caylee was kidnapped, it started when Casey did not report it and lied to the only people who could have helped her; her father and the police.

A lesson from all of this is that nothing is impossible. Although it may seem beyond comprehension, mothers can hate their children and can hurt them. Mothers can also cover up and lie for their children when they are in trouble, as Cindy Anthony proved when she was asked to supply police with Caylee’s toothbrush. If she lied about that who knows how deep the lies go.

In my opinion George is another one of Cindy and Casey’s victims. As far as Lee goes, he is hiding; hiding from what is anybodies guess. Maybe he does not want to be another of the female members of the family’s victim’s. Maybe he did his own lying. If the criminal justice system is successful we may find out the answer to most of the questions. But, the only one who knows what “TRULY” happened is Caylee, and she can no longer tell us.

Justice; A Mini Skirt and Christmas

2009-01-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

Brenda Schaefer
Justice; A Mini Skirt and Christmas

In watching an episode of American Justice I have found myself unable to wrap my mind around the ‘cracks’ that develop in the process of seeking justice. Is it faulty law or jury failure?

Brenda Sue Schaefer on September 24, 1988, was found dead in the home of her boyfriend Mel Ignatow. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, in 1991, a Kenton County jury acquitted Mel Ignatow.

Pictures showing Brenda being tortured and killed by Ignatow surfaced six months later. Undeveloped film was found in a heating duct of a home Ignatow had owned. It showed Ignatow sexually abusing Schaefer on the night of her murder. Ignatow eventually admitted, after a plea deal involving perjury charges and knowing he was secure due to Double Jeopardy, that he had killed her with chloroform on Sept. 24, 1988. After torturing and sexually abusing her in the home of his former girlfriend, Mary Ann Shore-Inlow, with her grave dug in advance, Ignatow forced Schaefer to strip naked, tied her to the top of a glass coffee table and sexually tortured her, while Shore-Inlow took pictures. He then took a bottle of chloroform and killed Schaefer, whom he was once engaged to marry. After the film was found, Ignatow was convicted of perjury for lying to a federal grand jury about his involvement in Schaefer’s death.

Tape Recording of Brenda’s Murder that was presented to the jury as evidence:

Ignatow: Good evening ladies and gentleman and we are coming to you live. This is your host Mel Ignatow and with me is the puta, the Jezebel who tried to leave me. She has been captured and taken prisoner by me now. (Yelling) THE PRISONER WILL IDENTIFY HERSELF.

Brenda: My name is Brenda Sue Schaefer; I have been captured and taken prisoner by Mel Ignatow.

Ignatow: Describe your situation Brenda

Brenda: You have treated me like a dog and humiliated me by stripping me naked. You have bound me hand and foot. Oh no! I am trapped like a beast in a snare!

Ignatow: (Laughing) Well Brenda my bound beauty welcome to your nightmare!

Brenda: (Sobbing) Oh no! Oh Dear God please no! Mel I am so sorry. Don't touch me! Oh God please don't hurt me!

Jury members stated that they found fault with the way the prosecution witness, and Ignatows accomplis Mary Ann Shore-Inlow, was dressed, in a mini skirt, and the way she sat in court. Some admitted they were hurried to get the trial over for the Christmas holiday. After Ignatow admitted guilt in a plea bargain some jurors held with their decision saying the evidence was not strong enough. Without attacking people personally this seems ludicrous with what was presented at trial. Apparently the judge agrees with this opinion. He has been said to have sent an apology to the Schafer family for the jury’s findings. I have searched for a while and can not find the judges name who wrote to the family. Strange, you would think he would be heralded for his empathetic act.

This is just one case sited in reference to the cons of Double Jeopardy. It would seem that all measures of precaution are afforded defendants found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. They are legally allowed to repeatedly appeal their conviction to avoid the sentence. So, where is the safety net for the victims and family members who find no justice as in the case of Brenda Schafer? You may call this apples and oranges but it shows a pattern of society’s willingness to ensure the rights of the accused and not afford the same consideration for the dead and their family.

While I agree we have to uphold the decisions of elected juries as this is the way of the system. But when the jury fails to weigh and consider the evidence in a manner that delivers just desert we have to look at the ability of the jury that is elected to sit in judgment.

The way a person dresses is not always a representation of their trustworthiness. The old adage of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ comes to mind. If one is deciding the fate of an accused murderer and evidence has been offered that is above and beyond a reason to believe guilt, clothes worn by a witness are not even a consideration.

Ignatow’s blatant disregard and disrespect for the justice system alone is proof that the jury failed. The other proof came later when Ignatow could not be tried again when more evidence came to light and Double Jeopardy applies. His public smirks and laughter, I am sure, haunt the Schaefer family.

In contrast to the laws of the United States, Canadian law allows the prosecution to appeal from an acquittal. If the acquittal is thrown out, the new trial is not considered to be double jeopardy because the first trial and its judgment would have been annulled. Makes sense to me.

The final irony, or one might say ‘just desert’, of this case is that Ignatow’s son, Michael, said on September 1, 2008 his father apparently fell into a glass table and bled to death in his apartment on Terrier Road.

I suppose for me to say Ignatow got his Just Desert in the end is not very professional sounding. But if the justice system, in this case the jury, failed Brenda, maybe God took up where humans left off. Maybe this is a message or testimony to the imperfections of man when it comes to forming judgments on one another. Whatever the case Brenda and her family have suffered the most. In their suffering lies the fact that certain aspects of the criminal justice system need to be revisited.

Shield and Sword (updated)

2009-01-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.wftv.com/video/18424311/

Awesome example or Shield and Sword reference in the court room.

I just watched an update and this hearing and was disappointed. Not for typical reasons such as a hasty public decision of Casey's guilt but because Baez makes me ill and angry. He acts with such arrogance in the courtroom it is a disgrace. His smirks and presumption that he can act against procedure makes a mockery of lawyers everywhere. Baez is the type of lawyer that jokes are made about.

Attorney Keith Mitnik is a watchable lawyer though. He seems to know his business and acts with respect and professionalism in the courtroom. His knowledge of procedure and the application of previously set sanctions is a pleasure to watch.

In watching the court video I can not help but think that Baez is desperate to keep Casey from uttering a single word and not being present in court. I know it is good lawyer tactics to silence your client but his desperation is visible and draws attention.

He refuses to drop the counter suit Casey has filed and states Casey will plead the fifth. This is where the standard of Shield and Sword come in. Or, as Mitnik says, "The defense can not have their cake and eat it too". Either they drop the counter suit and plead the fifth or purse it and give an in-person deposition. Baez wants the deposition in written form to view the questions in advance. Of course he does so, like Mitnk says, Casey can be coached for 30 days on what to say. Obviously this proves that Baez knows his client is a practiced liar and can fool everyone if she is given 30 days to practice. Just like the 30 days she used to practice her story about Caylee's abduction?

I try to be unbiased in my opinion and let the justice system do what is is designed to do but Baez and Casey are horses of a different color and make this task difficult. How can Baez publicly state that his client is innocent and did nothing wrong to Caylee and hide her behind the Fifth amendment shield. He blathers on about how the truth will come out at trial and Casey will be proven innocent. One wonders if he (Baez) thinks about who was looking out for Caylee's rights.

I recall Casey's Mother Cindy stating to the media that when we all heard what really happened to Caylee we would all award her mother of the year. Maybe in some warped horror flick. Nothing Casey does represents a mother. But Cindy Anthony is another story all together.

Anyhow, I loved being able to view this proceeding, thank God for the World Wide Web! I would recommend it to any student studying law.

Munchausens as a Defense

2009-01-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

Munchausen’s; Sick, Insane, Guilty, or Just a Good Liar?

In short, Munchausen is a mental disorder people develop to gain the attention given to those who are sick or dying. The afflicted are more than happy to undergo painful tests to gain sympathy and attention. This in a sense is a story, or lie if you will, developed to aide in the whole charade.

Could it be that this is an underlying cause for recent mother child murders? The public tries desperately to comprehend the idea that a mother, heart and soul of every family, can take the life of her own child. Elaborate lies are developed by these mothers to cover their murderous acts. They are believed to be habitual liars but this too can be thought of as a Munchausen symptom.

Munchausen has been used as a defense and been successful (Adamson, 2000). The question is; has this success opened the door for other mothers, with more murderous and selfish reasons in mind, to use Munchausen as an excuse? Not guilty by reason of insanity or guilty but insane are some common alternatives to murder in the first. The sentences hold some drastic differences.

The insanity plea usually draws a sentence that requires confinement to a mental facility for various amounts of time and supervisional release. The problems and controversy develop when defense lawyers successfully use this defense strategy to secure a more desirable incarceration for undesirable criminals. So who is the abuser, the lawyer or the accused?

Murder in the first carries a sentence of 25 years to life. In some states the death penalty is used. The opinion on this sentence varies according to ones stance on the death penalty. The mentally ill can not be executed (Findlaw, 2009)). Munchausen is considered a mental disorder. However, “Munchausen by Proxy” is considered a form of maltreatment rather than a mental disorder. The children are the victim and the mother is the perpetrator.

Like most unusual or incomprehensible situations too little is known about Munchausen’s. If illness can be feigned to the point of submitting to torturous pain, than the ability to lie goes hand in hand. Lying is part of a criminal’s ‘modus operandi’. Are Munchausen patients mentally ill or criminals with the ability to fool even the most experienced doctors? And, are good defense lawyers the ace in the hole that these patients rely on to accomplish their acts?

For the general public Munchausen’s is a possible answer. An answer to the unthinkable acts of murder mothers commit on their own children. But in that answer lays another truckload of questions including, ‘who can answer the questions’?

Adamson L (2000). 'Munchausen' mother cleared of murdering baby daughter. In The Sunday Herald Retrieved January 3, 2009 from: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20000123/ai_n9624482

Findlaw (2009). Ford v. Wainwright, 477 U.S. 399 (1986). In Findlaw for Legal Professionals Retrieved January 3, 2009 from: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=477&invol=399

Something’s Fishy in Maine

2009-01-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

Something’s Fishy in Maine

Every year at this time one can see little shacks scattered across the frozen lakes of Maine. Avid ice-fishing enthusiasts have begun their seasonal hobby of catching fish through the ice. While some are very competitive and vie for bragging rights of ‘The Big Fish’, others are only there for the ‘party’ atmosphere that develops around a gathering of usually three or more. What ever the reason for their presence, these ice-fishing participants are forgetting a crucial consideration, safety.

Combine the weight of people, shacks, gear, and various transportation (ATV’s) making thicknesses of ice a priority. The Maine Warden Service issues ice thickness warnings and various safety tips, sometimes to no avail. One day after a thin ice alert this year, shacks arrived on local lakes with gear, vehicles, and children in tow.

Ones own safety is their choice but to endanger ones children is another matter. There are also the rescue personnel that will be called out to save people who have gone through the thin ice. They put themselves at risk to save citizens that have made the bad choice to ignore alerts. All of this and more for bragging rights.

Just one week ago Col. Joel Wilkinson, chief warden of the Maine Warden Service announced there are no safe lakes in Maine (Remington, Remington, 2008). This warning went unheeded. Officials in Maine state in 2000 that the numbers of deaths, due to going through the ice, are climbing so fast they are losing count (Lyons, 2000). The year 2009 looks to be the same.

The arguments for and against ice fishing are many and branch off into various directions. If one is risking their life alone it could be said that it is their right to do so. But there is no scenario that involves this sport that risks only the fisherman.

All photos from Yahoo Images

Lyons K. (2000). Winter Safety & Survival Part 2. In Millinocket Regional Hospital Press Release. Retrieved January 4, 2009 from: www.mrhme.org/getpage.php?name=november302000

Remington T., Remington S. (2008). Maine Warden Service Says ‘Stay Off the Ice’ In Maine Outdoors Today Retrieved January 4, 2009 from: http://maineoutdoorstoday.com/blog/?m=200811

Hamas and Ice-Cream

2009-01-05T09:00:00.001-08:00

The ignorance of some individuals angers me to the point of frustration. Things or situations that are so obvious they almost seem to laugh in ones face grate on my nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard.

99% of the time, in warlike situations, terrorist groups will infiltrate the general public and hide among innocent citizens. When battle starts and the bombs rain down on these groups the innocents are killed by the thousands.

This was the intent of the terrorists from the beginning. The use of propaganda to further their efforts and gain sympathy is always part of terrorists ‘big’ plan. The age old method of using the death of innocent citizens to try to prove that the opposition is cruel and uncaring is predictable to say the least.

Recent interviews with Hamas sympathizers are like scripts from past terrorist efforts. The numbers of dead and wounded are separated by their position in society; citizen or Hamas member. Of course the number of citizens killed will be higher, that is the propaganda plan.

Excuses like the theory that the Hamas has no where else to go but among the citizens are pathetic to say the least. If the Hamas and their cause where truly worthy they would protect the citizens from impending battle and possible death by setting up their base of operations far from the city.

In 2006 if Hamas had renounced violence this blog would not exist. But attacking innocent civilians has always been the way of the Hamas. It is inevitable that they would in turn use the death of innocents as a strategic weapon of war.

My anger lies with the sympathizers that eat the propaganda like a welcome bowl of ice-cream in the summer. Never questioning what the ice-cream is hiding (sugar, fat, and other artery cloggers), just enjoying the instant gratification.

Put down the ice-cream folks and look up the history. It is as plain as the nose on your face, listed under ‘propaganda tactics that win sympathy’, or ‘ instant gratification, it is the easiest way’.

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2009-01-03T14:13:00.001-08:00

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Monsters we create

2008-12-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

After reading a recent blog involving a Marine accused of beating his wife, almost to death, I decided to delve into the topic of military personal, psychological issues and how they get to the point of hurting or killing people they love.

Many recruits are found in high schools. Recruiters go to local high schools and give boys and girls alike the option of a career in the military. Many of these youth have no other option due to poor employment, lack of funding for college and other various economic reasons. The recruiter can seem like a beacon in the night to theses types of youth.

Some of theses youth have never even been to a city or exposed to the various situations that are part of city life. Some get married before or right after boot camp out of shear loneliness or the need to have someone from home near them. This places another youth into the mix that is equally inexperienced.

These youth are trained in the art of combat and all that that implies. They are then shipped to a foreign country, given a weapon that if they were at home they would be arrested for and told to shoot to kill. Their lives are in danger at every turn and they are dealing with forced adulthood and homesickness.

These same youth call home to learn their wife has taken a seedy job in the city and is making more money than they are for risking life and limb. This seedy job places their wife in situations that are less than safe and give her the false feeling of great glamour.

The youth, if they survive combat, return home to controversy and politics that make them less than the hero the recruiter promised. The psychological issues have already developed from combat situations and are fueled by the ever mounting situations the youth faces.

The wife decides to experiment with an admirer who fills the void left by the ever absent military husband who is suffering from PTSD and depression and feels no one cares or understands. If this dalliance is blatant it only adds to the psychological mix. If it is found out by the youth by chance or gossip betrayal is felt at an even greater level.

Enter domestic violence and even murder. Then enter the public opinion that the youth is “bad” and “how could this happen”? We, or society as a whole, create these scenarios and stand back and judge the result like we think it is something new. The facts and history are there to prevent it all from occurring but we, as ignorant humans, refuse to acknowledge our role in the causation so we could never acknowledge the fact that it can be stopped.

Now I realize the need for military and the need to recruit youth. But I also realize the need for preventative methods at every level of this situation. If we are going to recruit youth we need to prepare them for more than battle. From the issues of domesticity to disorders due to combat there are prevention methods that can be taught.

I broke my silence

2008-12-22T17:43:00.000-08:00

I vowed I would not join the thousands of speculators having their say concerning the Caylee Anthony case. I am just going to break that for a moment. I was just viewing Jesse Grund on NG. I can see that Baez and the Anthonys were hoping, from the beginning that they could pin this all on Grund. What sticks in my craw is that the selfishness and egotism that is attached to this family is so brazen. In one breath they (Lee first) ripping down memorials to Caylee. Then in an about face they say the toys taken from memorials will be donated to needy kids. This to calm the simmering crowds I am sure. Then the Anthony's rob the public of the chance to say goodbye by having a private funeral. They should at least let the public have some kind of memorial. Then after this denial of closure, they ask for donations for Caylees funeral. What happened to the trust money for Caylee and the other donations? Spent on their trips to News shows and imaginary Caylee sightings around the states I am sure.

Why do people find it so hard to believe that Casey could have killed Caylee. It has been done before as we know. It seems to be a new area of crime. The drugging of kids so parents can go out also seems to be the trend of Casey's group of friends, if we can believe anything Casey says.

I realize that there are people who believe that the Anthony's have every right to have a private service but hear me out. What about the thousands of searchers and helpers who aided in this case. Caylee has become Americas child. America needs closure too. Opinions?

Fourth Amendment, Computers, Bullets and Dogs

2008-12-22T13:14:00.000-08:00

(Image from: Yahooimages.com)

Two issues in computer searches are the Fourth Amendment issue of whether searches are constitutional and what procedures must be used to preserve the evidence seized (Del Carmen, 2004).
Searches and seizures of computers need a warrant based on probable cause; to believe the data to be seized exists, is evidence of a crime, is presently located at the place to be searched, and a reasonably detailed description of the place to be searched and the data to be seized.

The same exceptions to the warrant requirement also apply to searches of computers; police officers may search computers without a warrant if they have a valid consent, exigent circumstances are present, in searches incident to a lawful arrest and if items are in plain view (Del Carmen, 2004).

Reasonable expectation of privacy for information stored in a computer is the same as a closed container. The Fourth Amendment prohibits law enforcement from accessing and viewing information stored in a computer without a warrant if it prohibited opening a closed container and examining its contents in the same situation.

There is no reasonable expectation of privacy when a person has made information openly available, when the contents of stolen computers are involved, when the control of the computer is given to a third party and when the owner loses control of the file.

In my opinion, there should be no expectation of privacy when it pertains to computers. It can be accessed by anyone knowledgeable in computers.

Surgery to Remove a Bullet from a Suspect
The Court held in Winston v. Lee that a proposed surgery to remove a bullet from a suspect’s chest for use as evidence would involve such severe intrusion on his interest in privacy and security that it would violate the Fourth Amendment and could not be allowed unless the government demonstrated a compelling need for it. Even though probable cause existed, the suspect was provided with all relevant procedural safeguards, but the government failed to establish the compelling need for such surgery.

Previously, in Schmerber v. California, the Court held that a state may, over the suspect’s objections, have a physician extract blood if the suspect is under suspicion of drunken driving, without violating his or her Fourth Amendment right not to be subjected to unreasonable searches and seizures. The reasoning is that the state allows minor intrusions into an individual’s body and in the case of Winston v. Lee there was the combination of the more severe intrusion and the states failure to show the compelling need for the bullet as evidence. The balancing test is, in my opinion the most just and feasible way of determining allowances of this type of seizure.

Use of Police Dogs for Detection of Drugs
“There is no “search” within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment if the police use narcotics detection dogs to smell closed containers for drugs, as long as the police are legally on the premises” (Del Carmen, 2004). In United States v. Place the Court found there is no need for a search warrant or for probable cause to conduct dog sniffs.
There are five justifications for this judicial rule listed by Del Carmen (2004) in Criminal procedures: Law and practice 6th Edition.

(1) The use of dogs does not involve any physical intrusion,
(2) The intrusion upon an individual’s privacy is inoffensive,
(3) The intrusion is restricted because the dog is discriminate,
(4) The intrusion is not aimed at persons but rather at an inanimate object, and
(5) The use of dogs is not the same as using a sophisticated electronic device.

Dogs trained to detect explosives can be used to foil the plans of a terrorist who conceals a bomb on his person in a crowded public place. If a police officer walking his beat smells marijuana coming from a group of teenagers smoking, that ordinary use of his olfactory senses is not a "search". It is not reasonable to expect privacy in activity conducted in public, where it can be seen or smelled by passersby, including the police. A trained police dog either alerts in the presence of illegal drugs, or does not alert in their absence. The sniff reveals no collateral private information about the sniffed.

Del Carmen, R. V. (2004). Criminal procedures: Law and practice (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Freedom of Speech

2008-12-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

This is a blog for exspressing opinions on various topics. You will eventually notice that most of it pertains to crime, fornesics, trials and criminals. This is due i part because I am majoring in Criminal Justice. Feel free to add, critique, or advise as I do not know it all and will be the first to admit that. Drop by and speak up as it is an American freedom.