Just The Facts

The $40/Hr Defense Lawyer: 'Making A Murderer' Attorney Dean Strang Discusses The Economics of Innocence  Please read the entire 2-Part article written by Allen St. John of Forbes. Here was my commentary to this article: "The presumption of innocence is implied, but is not always afforded by the system. The battle is never balanced and you are "out-gunned" by the state with all its resources and determination to win. Ideally, a cap should be placed on both sides with equal access to resources. We know that will never happen. There were too many errors and inappropriate actions during these investigations. There was an ample amount of doubt that should have raised many red flags; but two juries got it wrong. They ruled on emotion and fear. I define fear as False Evidence Appearing Real. If there wasn't enough evidence of this in Avery's first wrongful conviction; it was completely ignored in his second. The sad things we see time af...

The Challenge: Find the perfect apple. The apple must be perfect in size, color and shape. It must shine like no other and be free of any imperfections. It must stand out among the rest. It must meet every requirement so it is undoubtedly the most perfect apple to be found. The Quest: The search begins. Where do you go first on this quest? Of course, it’s the orchard. It seems like such a simple task, to find what stands out among the rest. Or it seems so likely it would be. As you look upon the many trees and the thousands of fruit before you, the task is not as simple as you’d thought it would be. As you walk tree to tree, some appear to be better than others, but none seem to be free of imperfection. Then one catches your eye, as you examine it further, it just doesn’t meet every criteria you were challenged to seek. You move on to another and another and wonder if close enough is going to be good enough to meet your goal. The search stretches into weeks and orc...

I know this interview will make some of you angry. Honestly, I hope it makes everyone angry. It's time to really understand that WE will reap what our politicians and government sows. We are lied to by them. We are lied to by the biased media and worse yet, too many of us are lying to ourselves, believing that traditional political rhetoric is going to get us out of the mess we are in. This isn't about hating the liars themselves; it's about the consequences of their actions and how it affects each and every one of us every day. Reality is like looking at the sun. For most, it's easier to turn their heads and look the other way. For others, they try to shield themselves the best they can to catch a glimpse of it. Either way, it's still there, beating down on us and it's not going away. We can either accept it and find a way to capture it and enjoy it's benefits, or we can crawl into the darkness and pretend it doesn't exist. Let me pu...

I’m taking a hypothetical trip to our camp along the river. It’s a place I find that brings me a sense of tranquility and peace. It’s a place that helps me escape the day-to-day stuff that clutters my mind and ultimately my life. It’s my happy place. So I decide that I will spend a month at camp. I need an extreme change in my routine life to discharge the negativity that seems to consume so much of life lately. I recognize that it has had a cumulative effect and has piled so high that I believe it may be changing who I am. I like to think that I would never be classified as a negative thinker, but more as someone who has a deeper understanding of the realities of life and a finder of solutions, rather than a chronic complainer that just bitches about everything. The beauty of camp, there is no Internet, no TV and no radio reception to speak of. It provides the ease to unplug from the world around me; something that I know I am chronically plugged into. It’s always ...

As last night’s $900 Million Dollar Powerball ® has come and gone, you just have to take a moment to embrace the impact that small paper ticket had on your life this past week! I’m not much of a gambler, especially when it’s based mostly on chance. Sure I’ve taken risks with money over the years, but it was based on numbers and calculable factors that would lead to a probable success. I just don’t think I can place a vision on the same scale as a dream when it comes down to money. But when the jackpot is “record breaking”, well you just have to take a chance on the remote chance you could win. As I sat out on the patio last night enjoying a fine cigar with my good friend, the conversation just seemed to turn into a dream session. You know, the whole “what would you do if you won” conversation. I can only imagine the many similar interactions taking place last night as the drawing came near. For many, a chance to live beyond their present situation...

I know I tend to write, or rant, about things that many may consider being conspiratory in nature or even perhaps slightly paranoid or just overly cautious. But the truth of the matter is that over the years I have learned to listen to my gut and act upon it when it seems to be the right thing to do. I just like to equate it to being aware of my surroundings and observant of the things that are going on within those surroundings. I’d like to take credit for these “feelings” based upon a long career in law enforcement, but I can’t take credit for that. I’d like to think that my natural tendency toward being keen of my awareness the desire to know more, led me in that direction and those experiences “heighten” my understanding of the importance of following my gut has proven to be beneficial in life. A while ago, I was cleaning my bike under the carport when I heard knocking at my front door. My wife was gone with the car, so I came around the corner to see who was at ou...

--> I have been following Dr. Dror since the airing of “ The Real CSI ” on Frontline back in April 2012. Since then he has published many additional articles relating to the subject of Cognitive Bias and how it plays in the handling of forensic evidence and those that are “experts” in those fields. In a recent article in the Irish Times, “ Why forensic evidence may not be as certain as we’d like to think it is ”, Dr. Dror writes more about how bias can play a role in the field of forensic testing and analysis and how it can affect expert testimony in the courts. It certainly does raise the question to how valid or accurate expert analysis and testimony truly is. A concern that I have had and have corresponded with Dr. Dror about, is the natural bias or prejudice that exists with us all, especially when we are called to serve as jurors, the evaluators’ of the facts and evidence during criminal trials. It is my belief that a person’s natural prejudice, based upon thei...