254 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
254 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
Original Message Date: 12 May 92 05:53:48
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From: Dick Gladden on 1:381/5
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To: Tom Jennings on 1:125/111
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Subj: FNEWS919 editorial
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^AINTL 1:125/111 1:381/5
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We in El Paso received almost no SF coverage, so I can't comment on that <20>
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part of your editorial. We got lots of LA news, though, beginning the <20>
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first night... in fact, NBC preempted "Nightline" and substituted local LA <20>
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NBC channel news.
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From what could be determined, on the afternoon of the King verdict, <20>
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rioting began with rock throwing at _one_ intersection. A local news <20>
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helicopter happened on the melee, hovering above it, broadcasting live <20>
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(wunnerful, wunnerful) fully revealing the absence of police or any other <20>
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authority.
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What does one do when one is at home watching live TV coverage of their <20>
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local neighborhood being bludgeoned and looted? Stay home or join in? A <20>
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few joined in and the rioting/looting/killing was on. Apparently several <20>
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hours passed before police took any action and, by that time, the <20>
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situation was beyond their control, requiring Federal help.
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Next to a couple of TV news editors, for failing to realize the <20>
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consequences of live broadcasting, LA police bear the brunt of the blame <20>
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for their impotence, in light of the King verdict.
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Mayor Bradley also earns a dishonorable mention for throwing gasoline on <20>
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the situation in his "verdict protest" speech at a church assembly late <20>
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that afternoon. Also turns out he and Chief Gates hadn't been on speaking <20>
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terms for a year. (There had been no contact between these two individuals <20>
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for more than 13 months so no coordinated contingency plans had been made.)
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Whether "class vs class" or "race vs race" or "class vs race", there is no <20>
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excuse for what transpired that afternoon and subsequently. A generation <20>
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of trust and respect was destroyed in those few days.
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Incidentally, down through history, shooting of looters who fail to <20>
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stop/surrender... whatever, has been SOP. It shouldn't have been a <20>
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surprise to you; absence of it in LA was a surprise to me.
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As to the King trial, I suppose the outcome was predictable. Change of <20>
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venue, jury mix, and prosecution's dependence on 90 seconds of tape wasn't <20>
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enough to render a "beyond all doubt" verdict.
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What you and I and everyone else saw via the tape we really didn't see. <20>
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Taping was done at a telephoto setting which compressed the scene (in <20>
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other words all were not in as close proximity to one another as they <20>
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appeared). Remarks made over police radio were inexcusable but I assume <20>
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they weren't being made by the participants, rather by onlookers.
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The judges' charge to the jury was proper, that a true verdict must be <20>
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rendered on evidence alone. If prosecution was bungled, lacking, whatever, <20>
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the jury could not render a verdict based on "feelings"... no matter <20>
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what... only on the pro and con evidence presented.
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Lemmie tell you, I performed Federal jury duty from January through April <20>
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last year, and it's hard work. One case I was assigned to was the first <20>
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bank failure/fraud (criminal) trial to arise out of the FDIC mess. <20>
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Defendant was a female bank president of Western Bank, here in El Paso, <20>
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was found guilty though not of all charges (there were 6). Over 100 <20>
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documents were entered into evidence plus there was testimony from several <20>
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dozen witnesses. All in all, it was a mind boggling experience.
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Contrast this with the 6 week Simi Valley trial, multiple defendants, etc. <20>
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and I can imagine the ordeal those jurors were subjected to. It ain't easy <20>
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and it ain't quick, like a 90 second tape sequence would make it seem. To <20>
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fully understand, one has to serve and emotions play no part... not in <20>
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_criminal_ proceedings.
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Conclusion... and sad to say, don't count on police for protection. I'm <20>
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presently shopping for a .357 to carry in my Blazer and fully intend to <20>
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shoot the first individual who smashes out a window to grab at me. Bev <20>
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suggested a 16 round Glock instead, but it won't fit into my pensioners <20>
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budget. This is a heck of a way to wind up life.
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Both Bev and I have been physically attacked since your June visit here... <20>
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she in a school hallway several months ago, and me in LA last October, but <20>
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that's another story. Here's something of interest from a local echo, <20>
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particulary the last paragraph:
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Original Message Date: 10 May 92 13:22:04
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From: Daniel Hagan
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To: Jason Duke
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Subj: Rodney King and Riots
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> I think it's a bunch of malarky! I don't care if he [Rodney
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> King] was speeding, doing drugs, or whatever! They [the
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> four police men] had no right to beat the heck out of him.
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> "They feared for their lives..." BULL! Four agains one is
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> not fear; it's hatred!
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Afraid not my friend. I've worked on many patients 'loaded' on PCP...I
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can tell you all day long how much strength there is in these people, and
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you just wouldn't beleive it unless you saw it. My worst case, the
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patient broke loose out of the restraining belts on our CT
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machine...incidentally, the belts are the same used in cars and were
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pretty new at the time (we change belts based on dirt, not wear and tear
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- none have ever been broken before). After the guy "got loose", it took
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six of us over 5 minutes to get him under control...the advantages we had
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were that he had one of four belts still holding him down. The two
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physicians near his shoulders were being elevated completely off the
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ground! At one point he had 4 out of six of us off of the ground (that's
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about 600-700 lbs. of body in the air if you're averaging).
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Now King was found *not* to be on PCP, but you can't tell until the lab
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test...if I'm ever picked as a juror and there's PCP involved, the guy's
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history...I don't care what ethnicity he is.
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In King's case, they probably could've gotten him under control a little
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earlier, but I noticed that the other officers were doing the same thing
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that happened in our room when the patient went bezerk...they stand there
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and wait for someone else to move in first. A couple of us that were
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caught in close on the patient really took a beating waiting for the
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'others' to quit wimping out and jump in.
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>---
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> * Origin: Health Professionals BBS (915) 590-9798 (1:381/61)
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Original Message Date: 13 May 92 11:59:02
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From: Tom Jennings on 1:125/111
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To: Al Koller on 1:374/3
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Subj: re: Fidonews 19
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^AINTL 1:374/3 1:125/111
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I think you misunderstood my point about "the whole LA thing" -- I was
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depressed, annoyed and angered at the broadscale simplification of
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things. I did not state nor imply I thought the "riots were good", in
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any way. I simply meant that they were "inevitable" -- ie. they were
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provoked by a complex combination of factors.
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If somehow you think I meant that the "four black guys" beating that
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dtruck driver was OK, or even tolerable, then either I screwed up in
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my presentation or you are reading into it because I didnt touch upon
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the usual, expected "I condemn this" points.
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I thought it more than obvious that those people, and anyone else
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doing more than immediate self-defense, are criminals, period.
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So likely we're in agreement more than we might have thought...
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PS: I wonder how many people thought, that because I said "I was
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there" re: SFs rioting/looting, that I was taking part. What a curious
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assumption, that I had not anticipated (my problem!).
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Actually, I was working two blocks from it (Folsom/2nd) and the bus I
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needed to take home was shut off. My other choice was to go across
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town and get another bus that approaches my (remote) neighborhood form
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another angle. I decided to detour through the downtown area and
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observe. I observed and stayed out of trouble. There were lots of
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"office people" doing the very same thing.
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Original Message Date: 13 May 92 12:09:21
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From: Tom Jennings on 1:125/111
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To: Dick Gladden on 1:381/5
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Subj: re: FNEWS919 editorial
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^AINTL 1:381/5 1:125/111
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Thanks for your message. I've already gotten flamed for some
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assumptions I didnt cover in my little editorial; some I skipped
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intentionally, some I didnt think about.
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Mainly, my take on this whole thing is that it is very complex. The
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crux of it wass, it didnt start Thursday and is not over now. It is a
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historical piece, and not very many are blameless.
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The mere fact that a (pick one) "crazed black guy attacked the cops
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and was taken out ASAP" or "the cops excessively and systematically
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beat a black man" turned into a full-scale riot, is a little odd, no?!
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One can certainly imagine a localized response; what did happen
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indicates larger troubles, whereever they may lie, and I have my
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guess. I believe they will overlap your in some areas, and be
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diametrically oppsed in others. Oh well! :-)
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In any case it will be fun to watch the responses come in, one already
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did. They person assumed I thought the riots were "good", that I was
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simply opposed to all cops forevcer, that I took part in the SF
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rioting (I was *there*, he took it to mean I took part...), and
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because I added data that wasnt pretty (the nurses accounting of
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gunshots no in the media) that I am taking some leftoid stance.
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Actually, I wish I had stated my distaste with peoples responses to
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this thing more. Both law'n'order types, as well as "alternative
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types" like some of my friends (heyt I've got cop friends too dont
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forget). The leftists looked eeven more foolish as even, the more
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extreme ones with "REVOLUTION IS THE HOPE OF THE HOPELESS" banners,
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Sigh.
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I hope for a revolution too, but it hadnt ocurred to me breaking
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windows was part of it. The one I hope and work for quite explicitly
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is the one in your head -- learning that you (collectively, not you
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DIck, youve figured this out way back!) have control over things in
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your own life, and that a lot of beaurocracy and "authority" is like
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what Dorothy found in Oz -- "IGNORE THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!" when
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Toto revealed the Great Wizard. Ie. a belief system, and a not very
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imaginative one at that.
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I have been contemplating a great graffiti -- I'm sure you hate the
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very htought, but it will actually be more like a mural on say an
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outof the way highway onramp buttress wall, not someones house/biz! --
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a great soloar system mural with the huge sun in one corner, Mercury
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close in, Venus, Earth, Mars, etc (throw in some out-size but
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otherwise correct sattelites, moon, etc) with a schematic orbit of the
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Viking (Mars lander) with a slogan in two piece, huge leters, top and
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bottom ---
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FUCK THE MILITARY --
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LET'S GO TO MARS!!
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In other words, the Mars expoloration could be the bigges tboondoggle
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ever, since the Pentagon and the Cold War. It would be a coup fo
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r Bush and the big biz piggies, AMerican supremacy (damn right here!),
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massive developmental programs, civvie offshoots, non-lethal to boot
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(OK the ozone holes punched by chlorine-based propellents is bad, but
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thats part of development) its such a pure, squeaky-clean project...
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infinite in size...
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... and sadly, a measure of the dimwittedness of the players today;
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too busy looking for Enemies Within to look outwards. The stupid shits.
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Original Message Date: 13 May 92 12:25:43
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From: Tom Jennings on 1:125/111
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To: Dick Gladden on 1:381/5
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Subj: re: FNEWS919 editorial
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^AINTL 1:381/5 1:125/111
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Two points in your mention of my ed:
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Juries *can* vote their conscience. It is the final check in the
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balance of power, and exactly *why* juries are the last word. It may
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be "legal" for the judge to say that, but that doesnt mean its any
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good. It cetainly is not in the intereest of prosecutors to tell
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juries of FIJA...
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I think the escalation part is complex too. OK, so this Bad Thing
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happened out on the street. People hear/see it, and go to watch; some
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with preconceptions (where did they get them), some not. Some cops
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angrily yell GET AWAY people say huh? Oh yeah? anger rises, some back
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off, understanding, stupid people take it personally, some hate the
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cops Just Because, some say "we dont know what happened" then see one
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asshole cop push someone away... the whole cast of characters in one
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giant mess of complex interactions.
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The solution to the problem is NOT AT THIS LEVEL -- its too late once
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it gets here, witness the unfolding ov events. I do think it was
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inevitable, and I also think it was preventable, but it doesnt involve
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the short loop of "more cops on the street", but the larger one of:
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why is it this way in the first place?
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Easy to say, huh.
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