Well, there are a few interesting news stories, but I found this one especially interesting.
O.J. Simpson was found guilty of kidnapping, armed robbery, and 10 other charges in Las Vegas. He and his co-defendant, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, could spend the rest of their lives in prison.I always believed that there would be some sort of justice for him one day. It started right after his murder trial, when he became a virtual pariah. It seems that he's going to get his prison time, after all, even if it's 13 years late. I would hope that none of the jurors looked at it that way...that their verdict came only after studying THIS case and this testimony. I believe that the majority of the time, jurors take their duty very seriously and understand the importance and gravity of their service. I would like to believe that if it had been me sitting in the juror's box in that Las Vegas courtroom, I would have been able to set aside my feelings about the murder trial and focus on the charges in this one.
I was working the evening shift at a hospital in Indianapolis when that trial was going on. I had the day open to watch the trial proceedings. It was pretty fascinating, and the details about the DNA testing were particularly interesting to me. At that time in the lab, DNA testing was just becoming available, and that was one of my jobs at work: DNA probe testing for Chlamydia and gonorrhea. So when I started hearing the numbers, and the statistical probabilities of who the blood drops could belong to, I thought, "He's toast."
Of course, I was wrong. I'll never understand why he was able to beat that. I feel that it was a foul miscarriage of justice, and Simpson was free to spend his days hunting for the "real killer" on the golf course. His 13 years of undeserved freedom are coming to a close. Looks like his golfing days are over.
I also see that Sarah Palin is saying that Obama is "palling around with terrorists." (What...is he taking terrorists for a stroll in the park, followed by a cappuccino at Starbucks?) This is because he has met and dealt with William Ayers, a former member of the Weather Underground. I don't condone the WU's activities, but I also believe that the sixties were turbulent, troubled times, with many radical and opposing viewpoints. Your current next door, baby boomer neighbor could very well have been a radical, peace-loving, war-hating, acid-dropping *gasp* HIPPIE, who went to *gasp* Woodstock or something equally as nutty. We think it's crazy now, but it was even crazier then.
Get over it. It was 40 years ago, and in the 40 years since the Weather Underground was active, Ayers has spent his time as a philanthropist, raising money for and serving on the board of various community organizations and charities, as well as becoming a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Obama has condemned Ayers' past activities and radical views of the sixties. So Palin says Obama is "palling around with terrorists." Oh yeah? Well, Sarah, I think you're passing judgement on someone who has spent the last 40 years trying to find retribution for what he did in the past. Last I knew, it isn't your job to pass judgement on anyone.
And just in case you missed it, here's SNL's opening skit last night. Blowin' ya a big ol' kiss and givin' ya little ol' wink!
