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Perhaps it is because it's still a relatively new year and perhaps it is just because... But there are so many things that are said on TV or written in the newspaper that flash by and are either not followed up or explained. And then there are the things that are explained, ad nauseam! Let me give you a sample of what I mean: Did you know that the parents of Jean Benet Ramsey, the little beauty queen who was murdered in Colorado, refused to be interviewed by the police? I didn't know that if you are the parents of a murdered child you can refuse to be interviewed. Did you? That they have hired several attorneys and a publicist is strange enough for me, but to refuse to talk to the police is strange, at best; but, I'm one of the uneducated people who didn't know that you could do such a thing. Now that the O.J. trials are a thing of the past, or we hope they are, did you know that the lawyers on both sides, and the judge, get together and decide what will be allowed as evidence and what won't? What do you mean what will be allowed and what won't? How can it be possible that evidence is bargained for? And as much as this civil trial was a new concept for most of us, how could evidence that was suppressed in the criminal trial be admissible in this one. And, it would appear, evidence that was crucial in proving guilt or innocence. Does it look to you like it does to me, that trials these days are just strategy games between opposing lawyers and damn the truth? I don't think that most of us understand plea-bargaining anyway but this appears to go way beyond even that strange opportunity for circumventing justice. And what is this we hear about 12, count them, 12 lawyers to defend Timothy McVeigh, the accused Oklahoma bomber. Twelve lawyers to defend him? What do you think? Does this sound like a good investment of our dollars or does it sound like a scam? Will justice really be served by the time this fiasco is over? And to bring it home a little closer, do you really think that if you needed superior legal counsel that you would be able to get 12, 10, six, four or even two lawyers to be on your legal defense team? I think that for most of us, "team" is not, nor never will be a reality. We will be darn lucky if we get one person to defend us who is willing to spend all of their time and talents doing so. Although I almost didn't catch it, I was shocked to hear about the boxing match or fight or whatever you want to call it that was ended in the fifth round because the challenger refused to put up his hands and defend himself. The referee stopped the charade when the challenger began to cry. But, folks, he did get paid anyway. And he got paid something like three million dollars. (Again, I wasn't really listening until the crying part so I might be a little low in the payoff department.) Now, who among us wouldn't be willing to get in the ring with almost anyone, run around and stay away from getting punched, and finally refuse to play anymore and get paid anyway? And, again I don't really know about you, but a few million dollars is a lot more than I'll make in my entire lifetime, so I would be willing to jump, bob and weave for a few minutes to get that kind of pay check. I really think that we've lost our minds. On the lighter and higher road, I heard today that our new Secretary of State has shocked many around the world with her new style of diplomacy. What really was the kicker was not her ability to speak the truth, speak candidly and speak clearly. Nope, what was so extraordinarily different about her was her ability to speak to the powers that be in the country she was in, in their own language. And well, too. The shock that she was a woman took second, third of even fourth place when she began to speak fluently in the language of the specific people. Personally, I think that she might well be the most influential government official we have had or will have in many years. Nothing is more impressive than being spoken to in your own language in your own country. And spoken to with candor, information and strength. Voila, Madeline, Vaya con Dios. We have heard lots, here in Vermont, about the new changes that are coming with the way we pay for education. No longer is the local property tax going to be able to be squeezed from the homeowner to pay for the ever escalating costs of education. It will be interesting to see how the legislature is going to provide the needed funds for equal opportunity education for all. Perhaps now is the time to assess and re-assess where the money goes and how it is spent. And with this look at the educational opportunities, we can come up with some formula to not only make the opportunity for education equal but make the actual educational opportunities work. I've had enough of double speak and snippets of information that tell me almost nothing. If you don't want me to know, don't tell me anything. Don't inundate me with stuff over and over again either. I usually get it the first time and multiple sound bites of information over and over again don't help me at all. But I do think that I need to listen more closely to the mumbled sentences that close many of the news items that I do hear. In those closing lines are info-jewels that are important and many times more important than the body of the story. Listen closely and see if I'm not right. Ask for the 10 cent a minute rate from AT&T and you'll get it... a snippet from a piece on phone bills... if you don't ask you'll be billed at the higher rate. Ask for a year free on your credit card, no user fee, and you'll usually get it. The real answer is ask for more and you'll probably get it. He who is polite, kind and patient gets nada.
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