Saturday, October 4, 2008

Justice Comes to O.J.

Perhaps the book is about to close on O.J. Simpson, famous football player, funny actor, and stone-cold killer.
The Juice has been found guilty of robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas, and he faces 15 years to life in prison.
(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/us/04simpson.html?hp)
Back in 1995, I was shocked, saddened and horrified when O.J. was acquitted for the double murder of his ex-wife and her friend.
In case you don't remember, his blood was found on the victims, and their blood was found on him.
Police even found blood from the crime scene on Simpson's socks and in his shower drain at home.
No doubt he was guilty, but he got off, because the police were sloppy, the prosecution was inept, and the jury was biased.
So now justice has finally come to O.J.
I think it's bad for society and bad for the individual when serious crimes to go unpunished.
After all, the moral guidance of the law is one of the foundations of civilization.
My first reaction, many years ago, when I first heard of the murders, was to feel sorry for O.J.
Back then, in 1994, the football great and actor was a beloved figure.
Not any more.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
It looks like he has a character disorder, i.e., he doesn't know the difference between right and wrong and has no empathy for others. He has destroyed the lives of two others and now it looks like his reputation and his freedom are gone forever.
It is a sad end to a storied life.
I'm sorry it has taken so long.
Justice delayed, in this case, is no longer justice denied.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Sick of the Lies

I am sick to death of politicians and their lies.
John McCain keeps saying that Obama would "raise your taxes."
The fact is that Obama would LOWER taxes for all but the very rich.
Sarah Palin says over and over, endlessly, "I said thanks but no thanks to that bridge to nowhere."
That is a flat lie.
She took the money, and the state of Alaska is building the "highway to nowhere," which is the approach to the so-far nonexistent bridge.
McCain voted against increasing financial aid for college to military veterans.
But when you tell people that, they say, "No, he didn't. He's a veteran."
When you tell people the truth, they lie to themselves.
They don't need the politicians to lie to them.
They do it on their own.
They contradict the facts with their preconceptions.
How bizarre.
Here is a good article, from the U of Chicago Law School faculty blog, on political lies:
http://uchicagolaw.typepad.com/faculty/2008/09/political-lies.html
(Copy and paste into your browser address bar.)
It basically says that political lying, as a tactic, undermines democracy.
I agree.
In other words, these lying politicians, who pretend to uphold democracy, are actually tearing it down.