January 04, 2007
What makes someone spray a limousine with bullets even though he has no idea who might die? A "gun culture," answers The Denver Post, under the headline "Williams' murder a cowardly gun crime."Suffice it to say that the murder of Darrent Williams would not have occurred, at least in the fashion it did, without a gun. But that fact in itself explains little. What is most horrifying about this crime was the killer's casual targeting of people he hardly knew or didn't know at all over what perhaps was a disagreement or a perceived slight - an example of "disrespect" that had to be avenged.
It may be "culture" at the bottom of this tragedy, all right - gangster culture. Criminal culture. Culture in which lethal violence is considered the accepted if not the anticipated response to, for example, a heated argument.
One need look no further than rap music to find this message reinforced day after day. Too many of my students show up at school in their “Scarface†shirts and claim that the Al Pacino movie exemplifies their philosophy of life. And if I hear one more story of a fight of a student getting into a fight with another kid because “he/she was talking mess about meâ€, I’ll surpass the million mark.
We’ve always had guns in this society, and we always will. What we didn’t have was the message that violence and killing are the first response rather than the last and the mark of manhood. Let’s eradicate that message, not eliminate a tool with many legitimate uses.
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January 03, 2007
It is sad when those things result in their death.
A 10-year-old boy who apparently was mimicking the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein accidentally hanged himself on New Year's Eve, authorities said.Webster police Lt. Tom Claunch said officers were called to an apartment in the 800 block of NASA Parkway about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday and found the boy dead.
Sergio Pelico's mother told police he had watched a report on Saddam's death on a Telemundo news broadcast before he hanged himself, Claunch said.
"It appears to be accidental," he said of the boy's death. "Our gut reaction is that he was experimenting."
My deepest condolences to the Pelico family.
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District Attorney Mike Nifong said after a private swearing-in Tuesday that he intends to help Durham heal the wounds of the Duke University lacrosse case.The prosecutor, who faces ethics charges for his public statements about the sexual assault case against three former lacrosse players, began his four-year term of office in a ceremony closed to avoid reporters.
Nifong answered questions after the ceremony but declined to discuss the lacrosse case or whether he will remain its prosecutor. He said his work as Durham's top law enforcement official will be to help the community recover from the case, which has drawn international attention.
"I don't feel that I'm part of the problem. I feel that I have assisted in revealing the problem," Nifong said. "Durham has some healing to do. And I need to be part of that healing process, and I need to have something to do with how we move forward."
Let's see, mike -- you've taken a case that had potential to inflame racial tensions if mishandled and exploited it to get votes in the black community, while at teh same time engaging in prosecutorial misconduct that appears to violate a number of laws and the civil rights of the defendants. But you are the healer?
No, Mr. Nifong -- you are the carrier of the pathogen.
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Massachusetts legislators approved a measure yesterday that next year could allow voters to overturn a historic same-sex marriage law in the only state in the nation where such unions are legal.A bitterly divided state legislature voted to advance a proposed amendment to the state constitution that defines marriage exclusively as a union between a man and a woman. If the measure survives another legislative vote, it will go on the statewide ballot in 2008, a presidential election year.
And I'll say it quite clearly -- the outcome of that election is less important to me than the issue of allowing the people's voice to be heard. Gay marriage was imposed upon Massachusetts by the courts -- it is hardly unreasonable to let the true source of political power in the state weigh in on the issue.
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January 02, 2007
The swearing-in ceremony for embattled Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong apparently took place inside the Durham County Courthouse this morning while the press and other observers stood outside on the courthouse steps.The ceremony was scheduled for 8 a.m. But the courthouse doesnÂ’t normally open until 8:30 a.m., and a sheriffÂ’s deputy told reporters and others that the doors would remain locked until then.
Nifong, who kept a low profile for the first 27 years of his career as a prosecutor in Durham, is now nationally known for his involvement in the sexual assault case against three former Duke University lacrosse players. The players deny accusations that they assaulted an escort service dancer at a party.
The swearing-in ceremony comes a week after the State Bar accused Nifong of ethics violations for his early public statements about the Duke lacrosse case. The agency regulates and licenses lawyers.
Nifong, appointed Durham District Attorney by Gov. Mike Easley in 2005, was elected to a four-year term in November.
So much for open government -- but then again, Nifong has made the wrong move and set a new low for prosecutorial conduct, so why should we be surprised?
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Dignitaries, Commoners Pay Respects To Ford
Commoners?
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Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, whose sexual relationship with U.S. President Bill Clinton led to his impeachment, has graduated from the London School of Economics, her publicist said on Wednesday.Lewinsky, who was 21 when she became involved with Clinton, is interviewing for jobs in Britain, publicist Barbara Hutson said.
When Lewinsky, 32, received her Masters of Science degree in Social Psychology last Thursday "the audience of students and parents erupted in spontaneous applause. ... It was a very emotional moment for her," Hutson said in a statement.
Hutson said Lewinsky spent the past year studying and "staying away from the London social scene."
She completed a thesis entitled "In Search of the Impartial Juror: An exploration of the third person effect and pre-trial publicity."
My hat is off to Ms. Lewinsky -- well done.
UPDATE 1/2/2007: I agree with Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen about some of the snarky coverage Ms. Lewinsky has received over this very real and very significant accomplishment.
In the various books I've read about the Bill Clinton impeachment scandal -- a scandal because of what was done and a scandal because the president was impeached for it -- the same story is told over and over again. When the prosecutors or lawyers or whoever finally got to meet the storied Monica Lewinsky, they were floored by her. She was smart, personable and -- as the record makes clear -- dignified. This is more than can be said about some of the people who write about her.I will not name names. But in recent days, Lewinsky has been back in the news. In December she graduated with a master's degree in social psychology from the London School of Economics. Her thesis was titled "In Search of the Impartial Juror: An Exploration of the Third Person Effect and Pre-Trial Publicity." Her thesis might well have been called "In Search of the Impartial Journalist," because she was immediately the subject of more poke-in-the-ribs stories about you know what. The Post, a better paper than it was that day, called her "dumb-but-smart." It was more than could be said for that piece.
* * * It would be nice, too, and fair, also, if Lewinsky were treated by the media as it would treat a man. What's astounding is the level of sexism applied to her, as if the wave of the women's movement broke over a new generation of journalists and not a drop fell on any of them. Where, pray tell, is the man who is remembered just for sex? Where is the guy who is the constant joke for something he did in his sexually wanton youth? Maybe here and there some preacher, but in those cases the real subject matter is not sex but hypocrisy. Other than those, no names come to mind.
Which is not to say that there will not always be an element of bawdy humor that is associated with the name "Monica Lewinsky". She is, however, a young woman who has made a new start and has worked hard to better herself. So while she will always be associated with Bill Clinton (who too many admire for his sexual prowess), let's always remember that there is something more to her -- and that there is a human being behind the name who deserves to be treated seriously and with respect.
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