JULY 24, 2011
BRUCE A. BRENNAN BLOG FROM THE WORLD AND MY MIND
The news as I see it and the views as I want them.
July 24 is … Amelia Earhart Day
It took me a lot of work just to locate this day.
The Experimental Aircraft Association opens in Osh Kosh, WI on July 25, 2011. The EEA convention is a great time and a huge air show. The Boeing Dreamliner is making its air show debut there, just several years late. If you get a chance, go to this convention at least once in your life. It is held every year around the same time at the same place. Enjoy and have fun.
From HuffPost, after more than two days of deliberation, jurors convicted Ohio serial killer Anthony Sowell of aggravated murder in the deaths of 11 women whose decomposed remains were found at his Cleveland home. He was found guilty on scores of additional charges related to the deaths, including kidnapping.
Families of the victims hugged and wept as Judge Dick Ambrose read the verdict just before 3 p.m. on Friday. Sowell, wearing a gray polo shirt in court, could face the death penalty. Sowell, 51, had pleaded not guilty to more than 80 offenses related to the deaths of the women, who began disappearing in 2007. The bodies were discovered in Sowell's Cleveland home in 2009. He'd previously served 15 years in prison for a 1989 rape conviction.
Many of the victims had been missing for significant periods of time; most had criminal records and suffered from drug addiction. Nine of the victims had traces of cocaine or depressants in their systems. Prosecutors say Sowell lured the victims to his home with the promise of alcohol or drugs. The bodies of five women were found in shallow graves in Sowell's back yard. Four more bodies were discovered on the third floor of his home, and the remains of two more women were discovered in the basement. Several were so badly decomposed had to be identified using dental records. Another five women reported that Sowell attacked and sexually assaulted them in his home.
In his closing arguments, Sowell's attorney John Parker argued that none of the defendant's DNA had been linked to his client. He said that Sowell, an honorably discharged U.S. Marine, "deserved better." He also accused police of mishandling the crime scene.
But Richard Bombik, Cuyahoga County Assistant Prosecutor, said there was a distinct pattern in Sowell's violent behavior and evidence "overwhelmingly" linked the deaths to him.
"This is not complicated, ladies and gentlemen," he told jurors in his closing statements. "Do not make it complicated."
This is the type of case lawyers are criticized for. People are always saying “How can you represent this man?” or something like that. Everyone has a Constitutional Right to representation. A lawyer must zealously represent his client within the bounds of the law. I often would forego a trial and go straight to the death penalty but only in cases where the accused is claiming innocence; then he gets his day in Court.
The United States does not have a monopoly on mass murderers. The 32-year-old Norwegian man who allegedly went on a shooting spree on the island of Utoya has been identified as Anders Behring Breivik, according to multiple reports.
The Daily Mail and Sky News were among those to report the suspect's name. According to witnesses, the gunman was dressed as a police officer and gunned down young people as they ran for their lives at a youth camp. Police said Friday evening that they’ve linked the youth camp shooting and Oslo bombing. Breivik is believed to have acted alone.
Norwegian TV2 reports that Breivik belongs to "right-wing circles" in Oslo. Swedish news site Expressen adds that he has been known to write to right-wing forums in Norway, is a self-described nationalist and has also written a number of posts critical of Islam. A Twitter account for Breivik has surfaced, though it only has one post, this quote from philosopher John Stuart Mill: "One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100 000 who have only interests." The tweet was posted on July 17.
On a Facebook account that Norwegian media outlets have attributed to Breivik, he describes himself as having Christian, conservative views. He says he enjoys hunting, the games World of Warcraft and Modern Warfare 2, and lives in Oslo. He also lists political analysis and stock analysis as interests.
President Obama was quick to react to this story and used the term ‘terrorist’. Not every mass murderer is a terrorist. The term ‘terrorist’ is losing its significance because we use it too much. It is becoming an accepted part of our world and we could stop that if we wanted to. It would upset a few people but only the living.
Just a couple of thoughts I had and you should too.
BRUCE A. BRENNAN
DEKALB, IL 60115
COPYRIGHT 2011
VISIT ANY OF THE SITES LISTED FOR REVIEW, RESEARCH, ORDERING MY WRITING PRODUCTS OR TO CONTACT ME.
Email: brucebrennanlaw@aol.com
Go to web sites below to buy books by Bruce A. Brennan. It is still a good time to purchase any of my books. The books are interesting and inexpensive reads. My third book should be available later this year, in late 2011. More information will be forthcoming.
www.ebookmall.com (Do search by my name or book Title)
www.barnesandnoble.com (do a quick search, Title, my name)
www.smashwords.com Do a Title or author search.
Book Titles:
Holmes the Ripper
A Revengeful Mix of Short Fiction
"The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be." - Marcel Pagnol
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