The Continuing Ballad of O.J.

I've been thinking a lot about this O.J. Simpson robbery case and there is something rotten in Denmark, as the old saying goes!

As we all know by now, Simpson, 60, and five other men were arrested after they allegedly stormed a Las Vegas hotel room Sept. 13 to seize items that were believed to include family photos and the suit Simpson wore the day he was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.

Well, it was just announced over the last few days that U.S. federal agents learned three weeks in advance that O.J. Simpson and a memorabilia dealer planned an operation to retrieve personal items Simpson said were stolen from him, according to FBI reports obtained Friday by the Associated Press.

O.J. Simpson, left, stands in Las Vegas Justice Court for his arraignment on Sept. 19 with his attorney Yale Galanter.

Dealer Thomas Riccio told FBI agents Aug. 21 that Simpson wanted to televise the operation as he confronted a collector who was peddling thousands of pieces of Simpson's memorabilia.

"Riccio and Simpson want to do a television broadcast confronting Beardsley regarding the items that were stolen," one report said. "Simpson wanted Riccio's assistance in setting up the operation and helping obtain interviews for Simpson through various media outlets after the fact."

As it turns out, not only did the F.B.I. let the operation go ahead, but the guy that had the gun was given immunity for testifying against Simpson.

Las Vegas Police Det. Andy Caldwell, the investigator handling the case, said Friday the FBI did not alert his department before the confrontation between Simpson and collectors Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong in a room at a Las Vegas casino hotel.

"They contacted us afterward and provided us with the documentation," Caldwell told the AP. He said he had no information about any FBI investigation into the incident and said he has no idea about the nature of the contact between federal agents and Riccio "or why they were talking with him."

FBI spokesman Laura Eimiller declined to comment on the interview but it seems rather strange that not only did the F.B.I. not let anyone know about the confrontation, but there was suddenly a gun involved, the guy with the gun (which made it a much more serious crime)will get off.

A simple incident (to be recorded) turned into a major crime as far as Simpson is concerned.

I might be way out in left field here, but could this be a payback sting for O.J. walking on the murder rap?

Allan W Janssen is the author of The Plain Truth About God at www.God-101.com and the blog "Perspective" at http://God-101.blogspot.com

Killer of abortion doctor gets life sentence!

I said a few days ago that religion and beliefs are areas of psychology that defy rational thought and produce tunnel vision in it's adherents.

Here is another case of twisted thinking that can change a man's perception of reality.

The long and short of it is that somehow he got it into his head that killing someone would save lives. (How screwed up is that!)

James Kopp's sentencing in a federal courtroom in Buffalo closed a case that began nearly nine years ago, when Dr. Barnett Slepian was killed in the kitchen of his suburban Amherst home by a sniper.

Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and holding what appeared to be a yellow, plastic rosary, he showed no emotion as he was sentenced to life in prison, plus 10 years for the weapons charge. He also was ordered to pay $2.6 million US in restitution to the Slepians.
"It's clear to me you've justified in your own mind the murder of Dr. Slepian," the judge told Kopp.
(Gee, this guy looks so normal!)

Slepian's widow read from a statement that she said was on behalf of her and her four sons, all of whom were sitting in the courtroom's front row.

"I want Mr. Kopp to go to jail knowing he killed a wonderful man, a kind and compassionate brother, father, husband and friend," said Lynne Slepian, who did not look at Kopp as she addressed the court from a podium. "This was the man that I was supposed to grow old with."

Kopp, nicknamed "Atomic Dog," had been arrested more than 100 times prior to the killing, for protesting abortion.

He is suspected in the non-fatal shootings of four other doctors, three in Canada and one in Rochester, N.Y.

He is charged with attempted murder in the 1995 shooting of Dr. Hugh Short in Ancaster, Ontario.

"We should all be very, very afraid that this sick mentality of James Kopp and his followers still exists and is tolerated by so many," Lynne Slepian said. "There are too many people who believe that what James Kopp did was not a crime, but a calling."

In his own letter to the judge, Kopp wrote that several children are alive today because of Slepian's death.

After shooting Slepian, Kopp fled to Mexico, Ireland and finally France, where he was captured in March 2001. He was added to the FBI's list of the Ten Most Wanted fugitives in June 1999.

Allan W Janssen is the author of The Plain Truth About God-101 (what the church doesn't want you to know!) www.God-101.com

Justice really IS blind!

Back in 1959 there was a 14 year old kid here in rural Ontario who was convicted of killing a girl he knew and sentenced to hang.

Since he was only 14, his appointment with the executioner was changed to life in prison.
Outrage over his conviction from some area locals who knew that he was really innocent grew to such an extent that he was paroled about ten years later.

Ever since he has been trying to clear his name and has been blocked at every turn by the Crown (prosecuting) lawyers whose job it was to convict him in the first place.


We now also know the police got it into their heads that he did it, and evidence was "gathered" that supported that view!

It also became known, in the decades since, that a pedophile lived in the area but this information was not presented. (He was later arrested for the rape and murder of another young girl.)

Truscott's case is being heard by the Ontario Court of Appeal in Toronto and I'll let you read a condensed version of what is going on now before giving a few thoughts of my own!

(CBC News) Crown lawyers put forward their case Thursday against Steven Truscott, saying there's no fresh evidence that would have changed the guilty verdict against him almost 50 years ago.

Rosella Cornaviera took the opening swipe at the new evidence, arguing that the rules that governed disclosure of information to the defence in 1959 differ from today.

"In our submission, the application of those rules to the proposed fresh evidence compels the conclusion that the verdict remains unaffected by the fresh evidence and the conviction remains valid," she said.

In 1959, Truscott, then a 14-year-old school boy, was convicted of raping and murdering his 12-year-old classmate, Lynne Harper, near Clinton, Ont.

He was sentenced to hang and that was later commuted to a prison term.

He was paroled in 1969.

For days, Truscott's lawyers have argued before the Appeal Court that new evidence casts doubt on the credibility of evidence used to convict him.

They have claimed that the evidence undermines the coroner's testimony about the timing of Harper's death and contradicts the testimony of some child witnesses who claimed they saw Truscott along the county road with Harper at an incriminating time.

But, Crown lawyer Greg Tweeney argued Thursday that the new revelations aren't enough to acquit Truscott.

"To put it bluntly, there's nothing new here," Tweeney said.

"What's being advanced as fresh evidence either isn't new — it was known to the defence at trial and wasn't used — or couldn't have impacted on the proceeding.

"It's our submission the proposed fresh evidence does not affect timing and couldn't have been used at trial as a way to undermine the verdict," Tweeney said.

But, the sitting Judges challenge lawyer's arguments and took Tweeney to task on several points.

"Even if undisclosed information wouldn't affect the outcome, there's an issue of fairness of trial," Justice Karen Weiler said.

Justice Michael Moldaver pointed several times to inconsistencies in the Crown's case, including testimony by a 13-year-old boy who admitted to initially lying to police, then went on to discredit other witnesses.

Moldaver also said there appeared to be an inconsistency on the crucial matter of when key witnesses said they saw Truscott and Harper along the county road.

He also criticized the Crown for suggesting the times given by some young witnesses were approximations.

"You come to us and say, 'Don't fuss with the particular times,'" Moldaver said, noting the Crown at trial went to "great pains" to trace the time line of events. "I'm not sure you can play this both ways."

The Crown will continue its arguments for several days.

The judges could acquit Truscott, order a new trial, dismiss the appeal or halt the proceedings.

Even if new evidence about the pedophile can't be used after-the-fact, it is a disgrace that prosecutors don't give a shit about guilt or innocence, but rather only care about their "CONVICTION"!

This proves to me that our legal system is seriously flawed.

Trail lawyers couldn't care less about guilt or innocence. Prosecutors will go after a guilty verdict no matter what the cost and defense lawyers will defend their clients regardless of the facts of the matter.

Anything that can be done to further their particular agenda will be done, while things that hinder it are ignored or suppressed.

In other words, guilt or innocence is a sham since they are not really trying to get at the TRUTH, but rather just further their own cause.

In the long run this means the guy with the best lawyer wins! The guy with the most money has the best chance. Just look at O.J. Simpson!



And, it also means that Justice really IS blind!





Your "just the facts, ma'am" scribe;

Allan W Janssen