Monday, October 19, 2009

Seeing the Forrest of Corruption through the Distraction of the Tabloid Trees

Headline: Larry Birkhead - D.A. Tried to Influence Testimony on Anna Nicole, Drugs and Daughter

Forget the fact that this involves the tabloid saga of Anna Nicole Smith, Larry Birkhead and their daughter Dannielynn. Larry Birkhead should be lauded for having the courage to testify under oath that he was pressured and coerced by the Deputy District Attorney to "ramp up" his testimony and to imply that drugs that were allegedly supplied to the late Ms. Smith by the defendants Stern, Kapoor and Eroshevich affected the brain functions of his daughter.  This came up during cross examination by Stern's attorney while Birkhead was on the stand as a state witness in the State of California v. Stern, et al. The full story is linked to here:

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b149609_larry_birkhead_da_tried_influence.html?utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories

I predict this story will be swept under the rug. In a fair judicial system with a level playing field, this Deputy District Attorney, Sarah Slice, would immediatly be forced to recuse herself from the prosecution and take the stand for charges of tampering and influencing a witness in a criminal trial (an offense which carries harsh penalties, including criminal charges, and disciplinary charges before the State Bar, which could result in suspension or even disbarment).  Of course, the testimony of Birkett carries with it the indicia of truth since it was given under oath, but Slice deserves a chance to defend herself and explain why the witness would testify to such a thing.  However, when a prosecutor is accused of misconduct, the resulting indifference by the courts and the media is entirely different than if a defense lawyer was accused of misconduct.

The reasons are obvious. And whether or not a defense lawyer is held to account has alot to do with the size and prestige of the law firm he is working with. The reason that accusations against prosecutors are played down and swept under the rug (or, at the most, dealt with behind closed doors in chambers), is because many times the actions of the prosecutor are the direct result of pressures from higher ups to secure a conviction at any cost. This is especially true in high profile cases, or involving high profile and political issues as well. I know. I have been there when I was falsely accused and later acquitted of numerous bogus criminal fraud and theft charges, in retaliation to me standing up for my 1st Amendment right to speak out and also petition the civil courts for a redress of grievances. Although my attorney and I had evidence that the State had engaged in unethical behavior, and the judge threw out all charges against finding no credible evidence that any crime had ever been committed by me, the prosecutor (who was pressured by higher ups in my high profile case as I was a business owner) was never held to account, nor was her superiors.

This prosecutor, who told my attorneys off the record that it was cases like mine that made her wish she would have stayed in the nursing profession, is no longer with the State Attorney's Office that bought charges against me. But make no mistake about it. Prosecutorial misconduct is happening with alarming regularity in many jurisdictions. It is rarely addressed by the media, or even the so-called truth and patriot movements or the alternative media. And yet, it is a VITAL cog in the advancement of a police state and a unified front in fighting the latest war on whatever (which is really a war on citizens who will not go quietly into the so-called global New World Order). And of course, I can document what I am talking about in my instance with court documents and transcripts.

An important notice to the alternative media: Since criminal court is how those in control deal with those who do not tow the line and political adversaries, it would serve you well to start featuring examples of this growing and disturbing trend of misconduct and corruption in our criminal justice system. A few commentators in the mainstream media have concentrated on this, such as Paul Craig Roberts who wrote a book, "The Tyranny of Good Intentions" which makes the case for the corruption of power in our run amok criminal justice system. Most of the alternative media acts like these specific instances of abuse of power do not tie in to their bigger picture, and would rather concentrate on big, nonspecific allegations against the executive or legislative branches. Yet two centuries ago Jefferson himself knew the most dangerous and stealth branch capable of destroying liberty and the Constitutional moorings of the country was the judiciary, because they could destroy the constition with a measured, "stealthy, ever increasing" frequency.

The alternative media needs to start concentrating on this cancer in our courts and government and heed Jefferson's warnings before the fringes grow into the majority of cases before our courts. At that time, it will be too late. Remember, tyrants historically have done a majority of their evil under the color and rubric of local or national law.