Friday, December 31, 2004

Robert Kennedy, Camarillo California USA


Thank you for #20. Great Frank Wu cover. Great pictures.

Thanks for pointing me to your website for The Zine Dump. But, what were you doing up at 2:16 a.m. on Friday, August 27?

Reading and reviewing fanzines. What else can one do at 2:16 a.m. on a Friday in August?

That brings up another question. How do lawyers who get brutal murderers (like O.J. Simpson) off live with themselves? Is it just a game?

It looks like the trial of Terry Nichols in Oklahoma was a complete waste of the taxpayers' money. The whole idea of having the trial was to obtain the death penalty. But, all they got were more life sentences. This brings up a question I've had for a long time. The original trial of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols was not held in Oklahoma (Colorado?). Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution states: "The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury; and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes have been committed ..." I do not believe that was the first time the Constitution was ignored in the location of a trial. So, by what "justification" was the
Constitution violated?

No, it's a system - an adversarial system where advocates argue the merits of a case before a neutral authority and let that authority decide whether the prosecution hasproven its allegations. It's founded on the democratic faith that this authority - a judge or a jury - will make just, intelligent, and humane decisions. Of course, this human element will fail occasionally. When it fails to the detriment of an innocent defendant, appellate courts exist to find and correct the problem. When it fails to convict a guilty party, as it did in the Simpson case, then it's a reminder that our country demands prosecutors be as close to perfect as possible - because we fear punishing the innocent infinitely more than we fear allowing the guilty to go free.

Outstanding coverage of Julius Schwartz. I had only one problem and that was in your "Strange Schwartz Stories". It's in the use of the expression "sci-fi." Every time I see or hear "sci-fi," I cringe. (Well, not in a book store of the Sci-Fi Channel. That I can handle. And yes, I know who coined the expression.) To me it's always been Science Fiction or SF.

To me, as well. My only excuse is that I wrote the piece thirty years ago.

The confession by your father-in-law, Joseph L. Green, "The Mistakes Tech Writers Do Live After Them" was quite interesting. The commentary by Alexis Gilliland and Gregory Benford were well worth reading. Mike Resnick's indication that the title of the movie Starship Troopers should have been Ken & Barbie Go to War was great. "The Night I Saw Death" by Albert Hoffman was rather frightening. Another excellent Sherlock Holmes piece by Craig Hilton. Your commentary "Dope Court" was insightful as usual. Your reference to "Richard Nixon's war" was a bit off. Back in the early 1970's while I was taking a class at Pasadena City College, someone had strung up a banner referring to "Nixon's War". Someone else had somehow got up to the banner, crossed that out, and written in the much more correct and accurate "Kennedy/Johnson War." Let's not have another rewriting of history.

Certainly Lyndon Johnson, at least, bears great responsibility for initiating full-scale American involvement in the Vietnam War, but most of our casualties and at least half
of our domestic damage came on Nixon's watch. I'd fault both.

Joseph Major: Bugliosi is, of course, correct that O.J. Simpson was guilty. However, Bugliosi also believes that the people charged in the McMartin case were guilty. Any rational review of the case indicates that they were innocent. Even though they were finally found not guilty, their lives and livelihood were destroyed.

Demonstrating (again) the value of the adversarial legal system. Public opinion had the McMartins - accused of child molestation at their day care centers - as good as lynched, but lawyers stepped in, applied the law, and at least saved their freedom.

GHLIII: Yes, the last scene in Paths of Glory is gripping. But, what is the song?

I call upon Inge Glass, Dwight Decker or some other reader who understands German for the answer.

We did meet at the Chicago Worldcon in 2000. It was by the fanzine area and we talked for a few minutes. However, apparently you were so besotted by Rose-Marie having recently agreed to marry you that your memory of our meeting is a blank.

Apparently so, and I dash my brains on the floor in apology. But it only makes anticipating the next time we meet that much more fun.

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