'twas the night before trial...

Port Huron, MI - The fates allowed me to witness Peter Watts' trial. Once the proceedings are over I will sit and start writing. My goal is to give an unvarnished account of the trial. After which I may or may not post my own thoughts and feelings on the matter.

It will be interesting to see if Cory Doctorow shows up. He helped make Dr. Watts' bed, he should be there when the doctor has to lay in it.

-30-

A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.
- Robert Frost

An update on Peter Watts' boot lesson

Dr. Watts has been bound over for trial by jury:

A March 16 jury trial has been scheduled for a 51-year-old Toronto author charged with assaulting a Customs and Border Protection officer Dec. 8.

Peter Watts’ last chance to plead guilty to a charge of assaulting a police officer is March 5.
The Times Herald: Trial scheduled in Watts case

I would give a great deal to be there for the trial. In fact, if the fates and vacation Gods allow, I might even do that very thing. That way I can experience the trial first hand and then read about it on Boing Boing and other blogs.

It will be interesting to see if we all attend the same trial. That alone is worth the expense and vacation time.

-30-

There are three sides to every case. The plaintiff's complaint, the defense response and what really happened.
- Judge Robert. F. Phipps

Attention left leaning commentators, editorialists and bloggers: You're doing it wrong!

The murders of a Kansas abortion doctor and Holocaust Museum guard Stephen Johns were tragedies beyond words. What takes those tragedies to the level of outrage is that each were killed over social disagreements. But those murders became fodder for some left wing pundits to bless us with even more completely irrational finger pointing at all things conservative. 

Numerous writers and talking heads lashed out against Bill O'Reilly after Scott Roeder overdosed on religion and shot late term abortion doctor George Tiller. Each one scolded O'Reilly saying he "created an atmosphere of hate" or "set the stage for violence" by continually calling Dr. Tiller, "Tiller, the Baby Killer." Many went so far as to say O'Reilly should be arrested as an accomplice or at least for conspiracy. Their logic is that Roeder would never have thought it was okay to shoot Doctor Tiller without Bill O'Reilly egging him on through the magic of Cable TV.

After the shooting at the Holocaust Museum once again most of that same group of writers came out blaming conservatives, President George Bush and radio talk shows for creating the climate of hate that makes this sort of inhuman assault possible.  They would have us believe the shooting at the museum would never have taken place if it wasn't for all these mean spirited conservatives and their blatant disregard for the plights of all the recognized victim groups.

Here's a flash for all those pundits.

Blaming Bill O'Reilly or anyone else for the insane actions of an individual completely unknown to them is a cheap shot. Those who did so are not worthy of their trade. They may as well blame Jodie Foster for John Hinckley's assassination attempt on President Regan.

A case can made the other way around. One example is the extensive list of misguided young people that commit crimes from burning brand new Hummers to setting booby traps designed to kill or maim loggers. It is far easier to tie rhetoric handed down by high profile disciples of the Church of Global Warming then blaming conservatives for abortion clinic terrorism or white supremacist whackos.

Come on people, lets get real here. You can't have it both ways.

- 30 -

"Them Jews aren't going to let [Obama] talk to me."
- Rev. Jeremiah Wright