by Diane Dimond on January 9, 2012
Some Schoolyard Bullies Never Change
Nobody likes a bully – especially me. But what if it is the United States Government that is the bully? What if certain people in Washington decide to target a citizen and then use all the resources available to them to crush that person? I must tell you about a story I researched recently because millions of your tax dollars were used to wage an eight year war against Robert Lorsch a successful California businessman and philanthropist who loves animals. I mean, this guy gets all weepy when he talks about helping animals and he and his wife, Kira, have donated astounding amounts of money to animal causes – like the 36 acre Wildlife WayStation refuge in Topanga Canyon, California. [click to continue…]
by Diane Dimond on January 3, 2012
What Road Will The New Year Take?
Time for New Year resolutions. Mine take the form of wishes and hopes focused on how to make our crime and justice system safer, saner and more evenhanded for all.
I know some of my wishes are unlikely to come true. But I also know many of them could if we were all determined to make society work better.
I hope that the coach Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State University gives strength and solace to the millions of victims of child sexual abuse everywhere, no matter how old they are now. May each of them understand that society condemns every person who preys on children and that the shame isn’t theirs, it rests solely on the molester. [click to continue…]
by Diane Dimond on December 19, 2011
Blagojevich: Famous For Being Infamous
It is an odd thing we do here in America. People who get wrapped up in scandal often become elevated to celebrity status.
You know the type of people I’m talking about – those who are caught up in sex or drug scandals, criminal suspects, or some other type of social misfit who’s every move is followed by reporters. Cameras are there as they hustle in to court, show up for their community service or just try to dodge embarrassing questions about their problematic behavior.
These folks become famous for being infamous. [click to continue…]
by Diane Dimond on December 5, 2011
A Jury Says He Killed Michael Jackson
You may not have been the least bit interested in the recent trial of Dr. Conrad Murray who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of entertainer Michael Jackson. He has now been sentenced to the maximum – four years behind bars for giving Jackson the hospital-only anesthesia Propofol in his home every night for at least two months.
Here’s why the case is important.
The case riveted doctors across the nation. Especially doctors in celebrity studded areas of the country like Los Angeles and New York, Aspen and Nashville, Atlanta and New Mexico where concerts and movie shoots attract some of the biggest divas in the entertainment business.
As the old Hollywood saying goes, “Where there’s a star there are drugs.” [click to continue…]
by Diane on April 25, 2011
Best Way to Curb Youth Crime - Get to 'Em Early
So often in this space I write about terrible things being done to – and sometimes by – the children of America. From sex trafficking to bullying, it is easy for a crime and justice writer to get mired in the all the negative surrounding our kids.
This time let’s concentrate on the positive.
Any child psychologist will tell you young people crave attention, structure and discipline. Any cop on the beat will tell you there are plenty of kids who just don’t get it at home. Their parents are either too busy working to pay the bills or their parents can’t pass it on because they never got it themselves. [click to continue…]
by Diane on January 3, 2011
Thinking of Ways to Make a Safer and More Just World
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the commandment to “Love Thy Neighbor as Yourself” was the only law we needed?
Strictly adhered to that would be enough to curb crime in a big way. There would be no murder, assault, fraud, burglary … well, you get my drift.
But as this New Year dawns we all understand that we’re way past biblical pronouncement at this point. Today society must have laws and rules and regulations. But I often heave a big sigh and wish they worked better to get crime under control!
In years past I’ve used this first column of each New Year to list my wishes for the crime and justice system. For 2011 the list is pretty simple … [click to continue…]
by Diane on November 8, 2010
Anna Nicole At Her Peak
You may not give a darn about the late buxom sex-pot Anna Nicole Smith but the recent verdict in a Los Angeles criminal case stemming from her drug-overdose death has certainly captured the attention of doctors nationwide. I’ll bet insurance companies specializing in malpractice medical coverage have snapped to attention as well.
After Anna Nicole Smith died in February 2007 three of the people closest to her – her attorney and lover Howard K. Stern, her psychiatrist, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and her personal physician, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor were criminally charged. Among the most serious of the original 23 charges was “providing controlled substances to a known addict.”
Interestingly, the trio was never accused of actually causing Smith’s death and along the way some of the other charges were dismissed. It came down to a trial about whether they’d engaged in a conspiracy to help the 39 year old former Playboy cover girl and TV personality obtain prescription drugs through the use of false names and misrepresentation.
During nine weeks the jury testimony boiled down to this: [click to continue…]
by Diane on July 19, 2010
Did We Fail the 'Barefoot Bandit' Too?
Across the country these days – in every village, town, city and state – there is a collective effort to slash operating budgets. That’s probably a wise thing given the state of the economy. But as we make choices about what gets cut back and what doesn’t, I hope we remember the children.
19 year old Colton Harris-Moore underscores my point precisely. You may know him as the so-called Barefoot Bandit, the catchy little name the media applied to what is obviously a very troubled kid. If Colton’s home state of Washington had had enough money and determination to protect him from a sub-standard upbringing way back when, scores of people might never have been victimized by this kid.
His childhood reads like something out of Dickens. [click to continue…]
by Diane on June 14, 2010
Lucas circa 1975 - He Destroyed a Generation
So many topics to write about this week! British Petroleum investigated for possible criminal activity over the oil spill in the Gulf! Notorious Dutchman Joran van der Sloot confesses to killing a young Peruvian woman! The headlines have been on fire about these stories.
But this week I want to tell you about Frank. He’s written a book. And he appears to be the toast of the town, getting full page write ups for his new autobiography entitled, “Original Gangster.” His publicity machine from St. Martin’s Press is trying to convince TV and radio personalities to interview Frank because his story is, “is a chilling look at the rise and fall of a modern legacy.” And besides, they gush, Denzel Washington once portrayed Frank in the movie “American Gangster.”
Frank is Frank Lucas, the nefarious drug lord who admits he hooked a huge portion of his Harlem neighborhood on heroin back in the late 60’s and early 70’s. [click to continue…]
Think Outside the Box And Speak Up!
These columns are designed to get readers to think outside the box on issues of crime and justice, to ponder new possibilities for dealing with crime and to meet new people you might otherwise never come in contact with.
Some of my columns elicit kind words, some spark angry comments and still others introduce me to people who amaze me.
On my column about Tiger Woods being in a cage of his own making, reader Karen Kennemer wrote, “Its time there was some outrage over the behavior of our “celebrities”… it’s time to stop worshiping the ground they walk on. We have to stop idolizing the people who entertain us.” [click to continue…]
