UPDATE: THE AUTOPSY IS IN

The results of the Terri Schiavo autopsy are in, and to what should be no one's surprise:

1. Her brain had atrophied to half the weight of a normal human brain (so she was in fact in a Persistent Vegitative State)
2. She was blind because the vision centers in her brain were dead (in other words -the video that apparently showed her visually tracking an object was misleading).
3. She was incapable of ingesting food by mouth as her parents insisted.
4. She died of dehydration not starvation.
5. There was no evidence of her ever having been abused.

So just as her husband and over 40 judges having relied on numerous medical examinations had said, she was no longer conscious. Therefore the majority of the drama was the result of the shameful manipulation of the natural emotions of her grieving parents by vultures who had no other motive but political or financial gain.

Meanwhile her husband was subjected to unbelievable and unconscionable slander.

Will there be any apologies from Congress or the other slimebags who shot their mouths off?

Don't hold your breath.

THE BEST JUSTICE MONEY CAN BUY

Well -yet another major celebrity has slipped through the long arms of the law. Micheal Jackson was found "weird but not sick" by a jury of his non-peers.

This prosecutor apparently had his legs cut out from under him when the 1993 case against Jackson was settled. That, from all accounts was the case that "had legs". He reportedly obsessed about that case afterward, and went on a worldwide search for other cases against Jackson -even traveling to Australia (a *local* prosecutor!) to chase down rumors of other victims.

From listening to the jurors, they simply didn't have enough evidence to convict beyond reasonable doubt. They also made it clear what a huge gaff it was to put the mother on the stand.

What surprised me was that they didn't even convict him of *attempted* lewd acts with a minor. Attempt requires planning plus a substantial step toward completion of the act, and a defendant does not have to be guilty of the completed act to be guilty of attempt.

I guess they didn't find the porno mags enough for "planning" (or didn't believe the testimony about the mags) and since they didn't find him guilty of giving the kids wine -that couldn't count for planning either.

On the other hand the not guilty for the conspiracy charges was no surprise: conspiracy requires 2 or more parties and from what (little) I heard there was no one who could be considered co-conspirator.

Have to say though -it sure seems like you can buy your freedom down here. OJ, Robert Blake, Scott Peterson, Jackson -sing it with me:

"One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just isn't the same..."

(hey what do you want -I have two kids under 3)

UPDATE: THE OTHER MEMOS

(NOTE: I've been trying to make this blog a series of "columns" -that takes way too much time and results in my only posting every several weeks or so -in the meantime I miss out on events because I don't have time to write a "column" for each one.

Therefore I've decided to try to write more "blog style" so that I can post more and keep current.

-OP )

***

More memos have been published in the Times UK which 1) predate the Downing Street Memo and 2) further substantiate the idea that the Bush cabal were looking for an excuse to go to a predetermined war and not as Bush has claimed as a last result.

Of course the mainstream press have regretted the error of their ways and have pursued this with the vigor better suiting an independent press...Oh they haven't? Crap.

Actually - some news orgs are starting both notice and discuss the appalling lack of attention paid to this bombshell -is the worm turning? Don't bet on it. The AP itself didn't report this, it just admitted it when questioned.

Representative John Conyers has created a website with a letter that can be signed by folks that will be presented to Bush on Thursday 6/16/05.