Found today over at Cursor

"Tom Petty vents in Rolling Stone about what's wrong with the music industry and why television is worse: "I think watching the TV news is bad for you. It is bad for your physical health and your mental health. The music business looks like innocent schoolboys compared to the TV business."

Received today by email:

WESTERN MUSLIM WRITERS LAUNCH NEW WEB MAGAZINE
Journal to Promote Dialogue of Civilizations, Introspection

"Asking themselves, "What went wrong?" a group of Muslim writers living in Aerica, Europe, and Australia today launched a Web-based publication they hope will be part of a solution to conflict between Islam and the West. Editors of the new weekly publication, A True Word , say they aim to promote honest dialogue and understanding between cultures and religions.

The Daily Rant has started a discussion on last night's violent Sopranos episode. He warns, however, as do we, don't go there if you didn't see the show, he describes it in detail as do we in the comments section.

A new film could bring justice to the case of Emmett Louis Till, "a 14-year-old black Chicagoan who was kidnapped, mutilated and brutally murdered while visiting relatives in Mississippi in 1955."

Two men who admitted abducting the boy were acquitted of his murder. Despite riots over the incident, no one was ever held accountable. Now, due to a new documentary by 31-year-old Keith Beauchamp, the case could be reopened.

There will be a private screening of the film, "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till," on Nov. 16 at the New York University Cantor Film Center. An expert panel will discuss the case following the viewing.

Beauchamp grew up in Lousiana and when he was 10 or 11, he found a picture of the mutilated body of Emmett Till. He has been obsessed with the case ever since, spending the last six years filming and tracking down witnesses.

The trial took place in Tallahatchie County which at that time only had all white juries even though the population was two-thirds black.

"In the minds of many Mississippians in 1955, a black man could justifiably be lynched even for looking at a white woman. Emmett was tortured and killed for allegedly "wolf whistling" at Mr. Bryant's wife, Carolyn, a storekeeper in Money, Miss. One of the tragedies of this case is that the so-called "wolf whistle" was probably a misunderstanding. Emmett had a speech impediment. When he got stuck on a word, he would stop speaking and abruptly whistle, as a way of untangling his tongue."

"Over the last several decades, Hollywood has turned away even famous producers who wanted to bring this story to film. As an unknown, working quietly on his own, Mr. Beauchamp has succeeded where others have failed, casting new light on a crime that many thought would remain forever unpunished. The information in this film could conceivably change that, allowing law enforcement officials to achieve justice at last for Emmett Louis Till. "

We were on our daily rounds, reading Atrios, when we saw his link to Eric Alterman's new book What Liberal Media? due to be published in February, 2003. We followed the link to Amazon, and learned that:

"Customers who shopped for this item also wear:
Clean Underwear from Amazon's Eddie Bauer Store
Ladybug Rain Boots from Amazon's Nordstrom Store
Suede Headwraps from Amazon's International Male Store
Cheetah Print Slippers from Amazon's Old Navy Store"

This morning, Scott Turow will appear on NPR's Dianne Rehm show to discuss his new book, Reversible Errors, at 11 am. The lawyer and novelist talks about the fictional death-row case at the center of his new novel, and about his real-life role on the commission reviewing the use of the death penalty in the state of Illinois.

There's another internet e-mail hoax going around. We received it today, but it has been in circulation for a while. It has two parts, the first concerning Oliver North and the second about Mohammad Attah.

The e-mail says that Oliver North testified at the 1987 Iran-Contra hearings before Congress that he had bought an expensive home security system to protect himself from Osama bin Laden, who North said wanted to assassinate him. This was years before bin Laden emerged as a suspected terrorist leader. The phony email goes on to say that North was asked what he would do about Bin Laden and that he replied, "Well, sir, if it was up to me, I would recommend that an assassin team be formed to eliminate him and his men from the face of the earth." Lastly, the email says Al Gore was the Senator asking the questions.

According to ABC News, 11/29/01, "North did indeed testify about his need for protection. But a review of the hearing transcripts shows he was talking about Abu Nidal, leader of a terrorist group responsible for airport shootings and other attacks in the Middle East in the 1980s. (Nightline, 11/19/01; 20/20, 11/21/01)"

Here is the Nightline transcript which ran the tape of that portion of North's 1987 testimony:

JOHN DONVAN: An e-mail that's making the rounds these days has an air of authenticity about it. It is about Oliver North's 1987 nationally televised testimony before Congress. In tonight's Fact Check, the e-mails quote North as saying he and his family installed an expensive security system after they were threatened. "Threatened by whom?" "By a terrorist, sir." "Terrorist? What terrorist could possibly scare you that much?" "His name is Osama bin Laden, sir." We went into the tape archives and this is what was really said.

(Beginning of footage from July 8, 1987)

Mr. OLIVER NORTH: The issue of the security system was first broached immediately after a threat on my life by Abu Nidal. Abu Nidal is, as I'm sure you on the intelligence committees know, the principal, foremost assassin in the world today. He is a brutal murderer.

DONVAN: Abu Nidal is thought to be living in Iraq under the protection of Saddam Hussein.

Nor was it Al Gore who questioned Oliver North. It was committee counsel John Nields, who is not even a senator. Oliver North responded to the false email as follows (his caps, not ours):

1. IT WAS THE COMMITTEE COUNSEL, JOHN NIELDS, NOT A SENATOR WHO WAS DOING THE QUESTIONING.

2. THE SECURITY SYSTEM, INSTALLED AT MY HOME, JUST BEFORE I MADE A VERY SECRET TRIP TO TEHRAN, COST, ACCORDING TO THE COMMITTEE, $16K, NOT $60K.

3. THE TERRORIST WHO THREATENED TO KILL ME IN 1986, JUST BEFORE THAT SECRET TRIP TO TEHRAN, WAS NOT USAMA BIN LADEN, IT WAS ABU NIDAL (WHO WORKS FOR THE LIBYANS -- NOT THE TALIBAN AND NOT IN AFGHANISTAN).

4. I NEVER SAID I WAS AFRAID OF ANYBODY. I DID SAY THAT I WOULD BE GLAD TO MEET ABU NIDAL ON EQUAL TERMS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD BUT THAT I WAS UNWILLING TO HAVE HIM OR HIS OPERATIVES MEET MY WIFE AND CHILDREN ON HIS TERMS.

5. I DID SAY THAT THE TERRORISTS INTERCEPTED BY THE FBI ON THE WAY TO MY HOUSE IN FEB. 87 TO KILL MY WIFE, CHILDREN AND ME WERE LIBYANS, DISPATCHED FROM THE PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE FOR LIBYAN STUDENTS IN MCLEAN, VIRGINIA.

6. AND I DID SAY THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAD MOVED MY FAMILY OUT OF OUR HOME TO A MILITARY BASE (CAMP LEJEUNE, NC) UNTIL THEY COULD DISPATCH MORE THAN 30 AGENTS TO PROTECT MY FAMILY FROM THOSE TERRORISTS (BECAUSE A LIBERAL FEDERAL JUDGE HAD ALLOWED THE LYBIAN ASSASSINS TO POST BOND AND THEY FLED).

7. AND, FYI: THOSE FEDERAL AGENTS REMAINED AT OUR HOME UNTIL I RETIRED FROM THE MARINES AND WAS NO LONGER A "GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL." BY THEN, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT HAD SPENT MORE THAN $2M PROTECTING THE NORTH FAMILY. THE TERRORISTS SENT TO KILL US WERE NEVER RE-APPREHENDED.

SEMPER FIDELIS,
OLIVER L. NORTH

A second phony email claims Mohammed Attah blew up a bus in Israel in 1986, was captured and imprisoned, but Clinton and Warren Christopher demanded his release as part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, whereby Israel had to agree to release so-called "political prisoners." Thus, the email claims, Mr. Atta was freed and able to commit the World Trade Center attacks.

Turns out it wasn't Mohammed Attah at all, but a Mahmoud Mahmoud Atta, who bombed an Israel bus in 1986 and was captured in Venezuela in 1987. He was deported to the US who then allowed Israel to extradite him there. In 1991, he was convicted in Israel and sentenced to life.

Many news organizations picked up the false story, but the Boston Globe caught it by checking the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals records on the extradition case.

Frontline (PBS) will air " A Crime of Insanity" Thursday evening at 9:00 pm est.

"In December 1994, Ralph Tortorici, a twenty-six-year-old psychology student at the State University of New York, walked into a classroom, pulled out a hunting knife and a high-powered rifle, and announced that he was taking the class hostage. During a three-hour standoff with police negotiators, Tortorici--a paranoid schizophrenic who believed the government had implanted tracking devices in his body--demanded to speak to the president, the governor, and the Supreme Court. Shots were fired, leaving one student seriously wounded and Tortorici charged with aggravated assault, kidnapping, and attempted murder. "

"That Ralph Tortorici was mentally ill was apparent to everyone. What was not so clear was how the courts should deal with his case. In "A Crime of Insanity," FRONTLINE examines the controversial case of Ralph Tortorici. Through interviews with Tortorici's family and the defense attorney, prosecutor, and judge charged with trying his case, the one-hour documentary explores the personal, political, and societal fallout that occurs when the legal and psychiatric worlds collide."

"Prosecutor Cheryl Coleman--in her first in-depth interview--tells FRONTLINE that she knew from the start the Tortorici case would be a tough one to win. Coleman spent over six months searching for a psychiatric expert, but for the first time in her career, she could not find an expert willing to testify that Tortorici was legally responsible for his actions at the time of the crime."

"Coleman recounts her efforts to persuade Chief Assistant District Attorney Lawrence Wiest to allow her to arrange a plea bargain, which would have sent Tortorici to a secure mental hospital rather than to prison. "I remember telling him, 'Look, we've pushed it absolutely as far as we can go...I don't want to do this and...there is no way that you're going to win this....Put aside the fact of whether or not he really is crazy, if you don't care about that, [but] we're not going to look so good...this is going to be a huge exercise in futility. A huge, public exercise in futility.'"

"Cheryl Coleman reveals to FRONTLINE what happened behind closed doors when, despite her recommendations, she was told to take the Tortorici case to trial."

"Despite her qualms, Coleman prosecuted the case. In "A Crime of Insanity," she explains to FRONTLINE what happens to a trial attorney once a trial begins. "When you're a trial lawyer, it doesn't even matter what side you're on because you go into a zone and you're into the battle," she says. "You're not thinking about right, you're not thinking about wrong. You're just thinking about winning....And you're just thinking about doing anything that you have to do. Short of...lie, cheat, and steal. But you're doing everything that they said you can do to win. And that's what we were doing... And anybody who says that they don't do that isn't telling you the truth."

Tortorici was convicted. [Judge] "Rosen sentenced Tortorici to the maximum allowed by law: 20-47 years in prison. But the time he would spend behind bars would be far less than that. Three weeks after being incarcerated, Tortorici attempted suicide in prison. Over the next three years, he was shuttled back and forth to a secure psychiatric facility. After nearly a year at the psychiatric facility, Ralph was returned, once again, to prison. Three weeks later, on August 10, 1999, Ralph Tortorici hanged himself with a sheet in his prison cell."

The New York Times today launched a new section called Campaigns that will be "an authoritative source for political news and information". It replaces the usual Politics section and will run until Election Day on November 5. On election day, the site will be renamed "Elections" and will be updated throughout the day with results. Government news and articles about "American leaders and policy" now will appear in a new section called Washington.

This shows just how dangerous the radical right can be to all of us, not just their extremist followers. From Christian Leaders' Remarks Against Islam Spark Backlash "

"A recent series of disparaging remarks about Islam by the Rev. Jerry Falwell and other evangelical Christian leaders have sparked riots in India, helped religious parties win elections in Pakistan and undermined public sympathy in Islamic countries for the U.S. war on terrorism, experts said yesterday."

"Falwell apologized over the weekend for calling Muhammad, the founder of Islam, a "terrorist" in an interview broadcast Sept. 30 by the CBS News program "60 Minutes." "I sincerely apologize that certain statements of mine . . . were hurtful to the feelings of many Muslims. I intended no disrespect to any sincere, law-abiding Muslim," the Southern Baptist minister said."

"But the damage was done, according to academic specialists. "Jerry Falwell makes a statement, he pleases his constituents, then he says he's sorry and apparently thinks that's the end of it," said Akbar Ahmed, chairman of Islamic studies at American University. "What Americans don't realize is that remarks like this are flashed all over the Muslim world, and they are doing very serious damage to U.S. interests."

Falwell has become an embarassing national liability. We encourage everyone to change channels when his face comes on the screen. Without ratings, there'd be no reason to put him on the news. If the media stopped supplying him with a soapbox, his rantings would be limited to his own website, would receive far less attention and be much less dangerous. We cringe at the thought that people in other countries think he speaks for us.

There is a terrific profile of our pal Rikki Klieman, Court TV anchor and wife of LA's new police commisoner William Bratton, in today's LA Times called Counsel to the cop: She fits the profile.

"A pit-bull litigator in Boston before her television career, Klieman first started making headlines as a prosecutor, then as a criminal defense lawyer with the large silk-stocking law firm Choate, Hall & Stewart, and ultimately in her own firm, Klieman, Lyons, Schindler & Gross. No longer a partner, she remains "of counsel," practicing solely in an advisory capacity."

"In 1983, Time magazine named her one of the nation's five best women attorneys, all of them talented trial lawyers: "As a group, they are less like the stereotype of their sex than the stereotype of their job: they are fiercely intelligent, tough-minded, intensely competitive, self-assured individualists who relish the fray."

"Warm, friendly, down-to-earth, Klieman nevertheless brings a formidable intellect and terrific recall to her show, which dissects both sides of big trials, the prosecution and the defense. She's also ended up in film. "In my work at Court TV, my greatest fun, besides what I do, has been acting," she says. "I played myself in 'Cable Guy' with Jim Carrey. I played a reporter in 'A Civil Action' with John Travolta. I most recently played a lawyer in '15 Minutes' with Robert De Niro."

"While a trial lawyer, she says, she worked "10 1/2 days out of every week," at a high cost. "Many women in my generation, who were in college during the '60s, of course, during the feminist revolution, were driven to put success above our personal lives. There are many women who have sacrificed solid, loving relationships, marriages, children, and their physical and psychological health," Klieman says. "My life was geared as a successful lawyer."

"Success required sacrifices: two failed marriages. No children. Health problems...She's now writing a cautionary autobiography, "The Price of the Prize," with Peter Knobler, who also worked on Bratton's book "Turnaround: "How America's Top Cop Reversed the Crime Epidemic." It's due out in the spring."

We predict a best-seller.

I have always thought that Las Vegas got a huge gift when it elected Oscar Goodman, one of my heroes and a great criminal defense attorney, as its Mayor a few years ago.

Today's LA Times captures Oscar perfectly in Las Vegas Mayor Gins Up Support:

"He is the mayor, after all, who invites residents to meet him for a drink at a local bar to discuss civic issues. "Martinis With the Mayor," the sessions are called. And they've become so popular, bars clamor to host the next one. And gin martinis have been Oscar Goodman's companion for 38 years, which has helped endear him with constituents as a regular fellow who lives life with gusto."

"All this is to say that, in Vegas, the mayor and martinis go together like Siegfried and Roy. So when Goodman agreed to switch from his favorite gin to a brand sold by the state's largest liquor distributor in exchange for $100,000 (donated to charity, of course), there was barely a stir (which is not how he prefers his drink)."

"Goodman, who encourages only responsible drinking and designated-driver programs, has never let convention stand in the way of promotion."