Could Her Mother Have Killed Her?
We are presumed innocent until proven guilty in this country. We are guaranteed a fair trial by an impartial jury. That’s the bedrock of our justice system.
But what about the high profile defendant who lives through months and sometimes years of sensational media coverage before their case comes to trial? The potential jury pool in their community can become saturated with negative news about the accused, leaving people to justifiably ask how in the world a fair trial can be conducted.
The upcoming capital murder case of 25 year old Casey Anthony of Orlando, Florida makes my point. [click to continue…]
by Diane on January 10, 2011
Jaime and Gladys Scott Breathing Free Air Again
Over the years there have been torrents of tears, rejected legal appeals, heartfelt rallies and now after nearly 17 long years there is finally clemency for Gladys and Jamie Scott. It’s a case that has had injustice written all over it from the get go.
The Scott sister’s 1994 conviction came on a crime they insist they played no part in – an armed robbery in which no one was hurt and about eleven dollars was stolen. Testimony at trial was completely contradictory and in later years witnesses admitted they’d committed perjury.
On Friday, January 7th, 2011 Gladys and Jamie jubilantly left the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility yelling, “We’re free!” and “God bless y’all!” They moved immediately to Pensacola, Florida to start their new lives. [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 December 13, 2010
Computer as Weapon: Takes Your Thoughts - Reveals Your Secrets
How many times do we have to be told!? When you write an e-mail or send a text message (or photo) it lives on in cyberspace and could easily come back to haunt you in a big, bad way.
I know that texting on your own cell phone or sitting at your personal computer, writing down your thoughts, then hitting the “send” button may feel like a private activity but it’s actually one of the most public activities you can do. Once your communication hits the digital super-highway it is full speed ahead into immortality.
This lesson was shoved in our face again this week with yet another disgorgement of classified U.S. documents at the internet site WikiLeaks. [click to continue…]
by Diane on December 6, 2010
How Many Brides Gets You Arrested?
Laws are laws. You follow them and there’s no problem. You break the law and you’ll likely go to jail. Well…not so fast. Some laws are selectively enforced even after a suspect admits felonious wrongdoings on national television. A prime example concerns the state of Utah and its law against polygamy.
Even though Utah has one of the broadest laws against plural marriage, there are more than 20 thousand mostly secretive polygamist households tucked away in enclaves all over the sparsely populated state. Some are disheveled, disorganized compounds with poor sanitation, access to stores, health care and organized education. Other polygamists maintain their lifestyle in well heeled homes with plenty of amenities. [click to continue…]
by Diane on October 11, 2010
Words Matter - Words Hurt
Has the internet made us more vicious? I ask because it sure seems to me that we are quickly becoming a people who have forgotten how to empathize with others. With our computer anonymity many of us have decided we can “say” things over the World Wide Web that we would never ever say to someone’s face. Cruel comments can be lobbed without personal risk so we send them out like invisible hand grenades, set to explode when opened.
Read some of the remarks others leave behind at your favorite news web site. [click to continue…]
by Diane on September 6, 2010
An Autopsy on the Media Coverage
I took some time off my regular schedule to write a book. It’s all about how we as a society have abrogated our opinion-making and handed it over to whatever media we follow.
For some people these days it takes too much time and effort to engage in critical thinking. But what if the media is just playing follow the leader – parroting each other and not really checking out the facts? It happens all the time and now more than ever we need to use our common sense to help lead us to the truth.
My new book is about the couple the media branded “The White House Gate Crashers,” Michaele and Tareq Salahi. The name of it is “Cirque Du Salahi – Be Careful Who You Trust” and I don’t mention it here as just a shameless plug for my own work. I mention is because Cirque – or circus – perfectly describes the information superhighway traveling into our homes every minute of every day. It has become a circus of truths, half-truthful exaggerations and downright lies.
Many of us gobble it up without stopping to think what we’re digesting. [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 July 12, 2010
US Marshal's Serve Warrants
At any given time in America there are one million outstanding arrest warrants pending … give or take a few. These are court approved documents allowing members of law enforcement to take into custody any suspect with their name on such a warrant.
In other words there are one million scared people in America. These are people who spend a part of their lives looking over their shoulder wondering when the law will catch up with them and they’ll be punished.
Some of these outstanding warrants are for scofflaw traffic infractions or minor drug offenses from years ago. Other warrants seek people who are suspected of committing violent crimes like rape and murder. [click to continue…]
by Diane on June 21, 2010
Dads Should Take the Cake - But Not All Do
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there! I hope it’s a day when both you and your children stop to realize how lucky you are.
Now, to a not so pretty picture of fatherhood – fathers who exploit their children in the hopes that they’ll make it big in reality TV. It’s gotten to be an awful trend and I don’t know who to blame first – the parents or the TV executives who buy only the most outrageous plots.
The world was mesmerized when 16 year old Abby Sunderland recently set sail to try to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe alone. [click to continue…]
